Zero Archive: Subject K1
by Xelrog
Summary: I am known as Zero, god of truth and passion. It is my mission to enlighten those who are lost to themselves by reawakening the passions that lay dormant in the heart of Man. To this end, I make use of my divine powers, bestowing providence upon those fortunate enough to find themselves in my care, and obedient enough to accept it. (WARNING: Adult content)
1. Introduction

The name of this subject is Kagome Higurashi. 14 years old; skin, fair; hair, black. She is a shrine maiden of notable lineage, balancing her duties as a priestess with the responsibilities of life in this modern age. Long has she been destined for a pilgrimage to a far-off land, inhabited by beings not unlike myself… but now, I have taken it upon myself to free her from this fate. Rather than discovering a world of adventure and endless tribulations, she will be granted the opportunity to discover herself, and gain freedom from the shackles of her own heart.


	2. Chapter 1

Bland. Grey. Boring. The day had been so utterly typical that Kagome could hardly remember sitting through her classes. From the moment she had woken up until the moment she arrived home from school, all had gone exactly as it always had. This seemed to be the standard for her life of late, as the days gradually began to blend together into a dull, predictable sense of normalcy. She had become an hourglass. She couldn't help but feel as if some critical, life-changing event had somehow flown her by, leaving her long overdue for a much-needed change of pace; she had even caught herself wishing for something crazy to stir things up a bit, and make her life just a little more exciting… but she had never predicted that this wish would be fulfilled in the way that it was.

But now, here she was, standing in her doorway, agape at the presence of an uninvited stranger in her bedroom. There hovered what looked like a muscular young man, defying gravity, as bare and smooth as the day he was presumably born. The first thing she noticed about him (or, well, perhaps the second thing) was the large symbol scarred, perhaps branded, into his torso. What truly made him look inhuman, however, were his eyes. They were an empty white, without pupil nor cornea, and belayed a flood of intense emotions hiding far behind them. Piercing, yet gentle; confident, yet humble. He bore the gaze of Purgatory. All of these observations flashed in her mind for but a moment… before, of course, she had the same startled reaction one might expect of any girl faced with this surprising situation.

"What are… who are…?!"

Kagome fell back in surprise. Her words failed her. She was too confused and distraught to formulate a proper inquiry, or to even notice the door swiftly closing behind her under its own volition. Upon the sound of the latch, she glanced behind her to see what had happened. The man approached her, and she debated with herself whether it might be wise to scream. Before she could come to a decision, however, he spoke, in a baritone too rich for his years:

"Hello, Kagome. I am Zero, god of truth and passion… and you have been chosen as my disciple."

She took another small step back. His gentle voice put her slightly at ease, but did not counteract the feeling of tension resulting from her initial reaction. Any rational human would have immediately doubted his claims of godhood, of course, but she could feel the intense aura that surrounded him. His power was almost tangible, as if she could run her fingers through the air between them. It was a benevolent power, but a mighty one nonetheless. Her first two questions having been answered, she struggled to come up with a response.

"Your… disciple? What?"

He smiled warmly, lowered himself to the ground, and his power seemed to dissipate. Looking at him now, no one would suspect that he wasn't an ordinary human… a blind, naked one. Realizing that she had been blushing since first entering the room, she finally came to her senses and turned around in a panic, facing away from her speaker. There was much work to be done with her. "All right… I guess if he were really a god, it would make sense," she thought to herself. "They're tied to nature, right? Why would a god need clothes?" She nodded to herself in silent reflection, a little proud of her own deduction. It now being redundant to ask why he was naked, Kagome blurted out the only other question that had made it to the end of her train of thought.

"Are you really… a god?" She still had her back to him. Surely she must be crazy to ask him such a question in earnest. But that aura…

"I am," he responded, then taking a pause. "As a shrine maiden, is it not your duty to honor the gods?"

She quickly turned around on impulse.

"What? N…no! …That's just the family business, I didn't think I would ever actually meet one!"

Realizing that she was once again looking directly at him, she froze for a moment, took note of where her eyes were being drawn, and turned around once more, embarrassed. Zero was visibly amused by this… or at least, his reaction would have been visible, had she been facing him. He posed to her a question.

"And now that you have, what is your response?"

"My… response?" she began. "What do you mean?"

"Will you serve me, as a god seeking your aide as a priestess?"

"I…" She paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Her family was important to her, but the family business… less so. She didn't feel the need to protect her "honor as a shrine maiden," if she even had any. Her grandfather was the only one who took the whole shrine thing seriously. But then, how would he react if he discovered that she had turned down a Shinto god? And what if some terrible curse were to befall the family due to her actions? This "Zero" didn't seem like the vengeful type, but she'd heard tales of wars between gods, men, and demons… rather unsavory ones. She didn't have any absolute, concrete proof that this person was a god, but given the power he had just displayed, she had to acknowledge it as a genuine likelihood. As Kagome weighed her own doubts against her duties as a shrine maiden, a thought occurred to her.

"…I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Zero smirked a little, playfully, bemused at her deduction.

"Not really, no. I was just curious as to what your decision might be."

Kagome was mildly peeved at his apparent disregard for her opinion on the matter. Then again, he was a god, and she a mortal. This was simply the way things were. Noticing her disappointed (and somewhat disapproving) gaze, Zero reassured her.

"Fear not. Great sacrifice does not come without great reward. For serving me, you shall be blessed with my divine providence."

"What, like… a good luck charm?" she asked. Zero chuckled at her superstitious inquiry.

"Something like that," he responded. "You will be protected from misfortune and yourself embark on the road to inner peace."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to my grandpa about this disciple thing?"

Zero paused for a moment to appreciate the mental image.

"…I'm sure," he replied bluntly. Kagome realized she still had one more critical question nagging at her, however.

"Well, then… why me? Why pick me, out of all the people in Japan?"

Zero hesitated, the first time she had seen him doing so. After a moment's thought, he walked up to her and softly placed his left hand on her shoulder.

"You're very special, Kagome. You have quite the respectable lineage… and much more potential than you realize."

He raised her blouse a bit and placed his right hand on her side. She likely would have jumped at this, but Kagome realized that she could not move; she was temporarily paralyzed. What kind of power did he have? Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, and couldn't help but cry just a bit. She looked down at where Zero's hand was, expecting him to have pricked her with something, but all that was visible there was his palm, pressed against her side… and under it, something glowing. He moved his hand and she saw what looked like a large pearl slide out of her body. It floated into the air between them, and Zero pressed his palm against her once again, firmly, to suppress the bleeding. Holding the jewel in his free hand, he spoke.

"Do you know what this is?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment. He wouldn't be asking if she weren't supposed to know. She recalled something her grandfather had told her about earlier that morning… a "Shikon no Tama?" It was something like that.

"That's… the sacred jewel…?" she replied, hesitantly. Zero was visibly pleased.

"Very smart. This jewel had been housing itself within your soul. Had I not removed it, you would have been pursued by demons and all sorts of other unpleasant things."

She looked at him for a moment, then down to where his hand was, as she felt him begin to separate. His hand was clean, and there was no longer any visible wound on her body. He had healed her.

"My first act of providence," he said tenderly.

Kagome took a moment to contemplate what had just happened, and what he had told her. Grandpa had told her that the jewel had long been coveted by demons, but why would it have been inside of her? Certainly she owed him a great debt, if his words were true… but what would he ask of her? Surely anything she could lose was not more valuable than her life, which may have just been saved… but she had never been attacked by any demons before, so why now? She took several minutes to carefully consider her next words.

"Well…" Kagome began, hesitantly. It was not an easy decision to make. "I guess… all right, then. I've decided. For better or worse, I'll serve you as your disciple."

Zero smiled once again, relieved that things had gone so smoothly. Kagome posed her next question.

"So… is this something I'm going to have to keep a secret, then? Hide from the rest of my family? I know my grandpa-"

"Not at all," he interrupted, his answer surprising her. "But we'll approach your family later. First comes the ceremony."

"Ceremony…?" she asked, nervous. Truthfully, she had been wary of this whole situation since his introduction as the god of "passion." She'd never even heard of a god named Zero. Perhaps he was one of the lesser gods? He couldn't be within a couple generations of Amaterasu, certainly.

"It will establish your devotion as my disciple, and allow you to receive the full benefits of my blessings," he told her. "It won't take long, but we should perform it immediately, for expedience."

Not wanting to argue, Kagome agreed to oblige. "All right," she said, trying to sound professional and priestess-y, "so how is it performed?"

She looked intently at Zero, awaiting his response with anxiety.

"First," he began, "shed all of your clothing."

"Wait, what?" Kagome began, angrily. True, she had been half-expecting such a request, but it was an outrageous one nonetheless. Zero simply repeated himself.

"You must completely remove your clothing, just as if you were bathing."

She continued to glare at him. She wasn't at all happy with this request, but perhaps it was some sort of purification ritual, like pouring water over oneself. It wasn't an unprecedented practice for a priestess, and if that were all that was required of her… well, looking at the state Zero had spent this entire conversation in, she supposed it wasn't too unreasonable for him to see her after she'd seen so much of him. "He's probably all-seeing anyway," she thought. "I'm sure my body is nothing new to him."

Retaining her look of reluctant discontent, she began to remove her clothing. First her book bag (which she had been carrying this entire time), then her socks. She couldn't help but hesitate a bit nervously before undoing her blouse. This was the first time she had ever undressed in front of a boy at all, much less… completely. Even if he was an age-old deity, he looked like he could be a classmate. Embarrassed, she lowered the blouse off her shoulders and placed it on the bed beside her. After that first step had been taken, her skirt provided little resistance. She now stood in just her underwear. She anxiously glanced at Zero, hoping that he would stop her, telling her that she's gone far enough. But all he did was look on intently. The fact that he was looking directly at her made what she knew she had to do next even more difficult.

Her body trembled a bit. She was nervous, but she wasn't THAT nervous… at least, not on the inside. She had the resolve to get through this, and yet her body reacted on its own, not wanting to be seen, hoping to hide itself and keep it safe. Swallowing her pride, she slowly reached behind her back. She preferred front-hook bras, but didn't have the good fortune to be wearing one today. First one hook, then two… the bra unfastened and came over her shoulders. She held the cups over her breasts, still retaining some small hope that she wouldn't have to continue, but when no signal was given that she should stop, she reluctantly lowered them, exposing her breasts to the air. She was now left in nothing but her panties.

Here she was. The final frontier. There was no going back after this next step. Kagome tentatively reached down to her waist, her fingers on the elastic. Pausing one final time to take a breath in preparation for what she was about to do, she pulled them down as fast as she could in the hopes that she wouldn't have time to stop and doubt herself. She was afraid to look up. When she finally worked up the nerve, she noticed that Zero had "grown" just a bit, proving that he was in fact a hot-blooded male, but otherwise, nothing had changed. He wore the same blank facial expression, waiting for her to finish in the same way one might wait for a fast food order or a city bus. A little relieved that things didn't seem to be going as she had feared, Zero retaining his full composure, she let out a sigh and pulled her very last article of clothing down and off her legs, setting it neatly on the pile beside her; now, she was completely exposed, just as naked as he was.

"All right, there," she said, trying to hide how difficult an ordeal that had been for her. Zero was less than fooled.

"Good," he replied. "Now you must gather every article of clothing you own, shoes included. Place them all in a bag and lower it into the sacred well beyond the shrine."

"What?" she asked, aghast.

"From hereon, you will spend your entire time at home as you are. Clothing will be provided for you only when leaving the shrine." He said those words with blunt factuality, as if it shouldn't be a problem for her at all.

"You're telling me… you want me to spend all my time, naked?! There's no way!" she exclaimed. "What about my family? What… what about the shrine visitors?"

The former would be enough of an obstacle, but the shrinegoers were what really made her shudder. The very idea of putting herself on display for all to see… it wasn't something she could bring herself to even think about. However, Zero did not budge; clearly this ceremony was of great importance. Kagome looked at him, obstinately. She had no intention of following through with such a preposterous order. The two had reached an impass. At least, this seemed to be the case… but after some time looking into his eyes, Kagome felt her rebellion begin to fade. In the passing of a moment, all seemed to make sense, and this ritual of his gradually began to seem more reasonable. But why? Nothing had changed during this time; that much, she knew full well. Was he employing some sort of power on her to weaken her resolve? Was it even worth trying to oppose him if he possessed such a power? Were these thoughts hers… or his?

Kagome had no idea now whether the doubts circling within her were her own or if they were the work of this all-powerful being standing before her… was there even any way to tell? Before she even realized what she was doing, her body had begun to act on its own, opening her drawers and collecting clothing almost on instinct. She felt powerless. No human could possibly oppose a god's power. And did she even have any right to? All her life, she had been taught that such deities oversaw the natural order of all things. Humans weren't meant to understand the workings of the divine—their role is simply to obey, and trust that their gods have mankind's best interests at heart in the fulfillment of their grand design. She may not comprehend the method to Zero's madness, but that wasn't to say he was without one. In no time at all, her entire wardrobe had been gathered and placed in a large plastic bag produced by Zero… be it through his power or through her judgement, she had submitted herself to his whims. There was no turning back now.

Zero was satisfied with this. "Now, to the well. Your family will be gathered in the dining room in several minutes—it's best that you not inform them of your new role until after the ceremony is complete."

"You want me to go downstairs… like this?" This is what Kagome wanted to ask, but she refrained from doing so. She already knew the answer. There was no fighting his power any longer. Taking a moment to gather her courage and plan for the inevitable encounter, she picked up the bag of clothing and made her way for the door. As she pulled it ajar, a knock was heard on the other side; faint and brief, as if someone was in the middle of knocking when the door opened. On the opposite side of it stood her mother, obviously very surprised to see her daughter in such a state. Before Kagome (who hadn't been expecting to run into anyone so suddenly) could manage an explanation, Ms. Higurashi had hastily closed the door again, swiftly apologizing for "barging in." More than anything, Kagome was worried that her mother might have seen Zero standing directly behind her and gotten the wrong idea about them… but turning around, she saw that no one was there. She was now alone in her room; Zero had vanished.

"I was… just going to ask if you wanted a snack, dear. I just made something for Sota," her mother explained through the door. Seemed she had just assumed that Kagome was getting dressed.

"Th-thanks, Mom, but that's all right…" Kagome responded, a little shaken by the sudden, unexpected encounter.

Her mother seemed to be satisfied with this answer, however, and retreated downstairs once more. Hopefully, the coast was clear in the hallway… Once her mother's footsteps faded down the stairs, Kagome picked up her bag once more, determined to make it outside this time. She carefully opened her door, peeked around the corner, and stepped out. She considered running, but that would be much too noisy, and would only draw the rest of the family's attention. Ever so quietly, she snuck down the hallway, her bare feet bringing the floorboards to softly creak. It felt so strange, feeling so exposed and vulnerable inside her own home… the one place in the world she was meant to feel most secure. She had never imagined being placed in such a scenario. Certainly, it wasn't what she had in mind when she had wished for a more interesting life.

"Kagome…?"

Her heart stopped when she heard someone call her name from behind. Instinctively, she turned to see who it was, and glimpsed her younger brother, Sota, peeking out from his own bedroom doorframe. It took him a moment to realize what exactly he was looking at, but once he did, he reacted in much the same way Kagome had been dreading.

"…Kagome? What… what the heck are you doing?!"

He wasn't loud, but he was obviously stunned by the sight of his sister standing stark naked in the hallway carrying a large plastic bag behind her. His face flushed a bright red and he couldn't help but stare at her; Kagome fared no better, her pale skin quickly turning pink. She ushered a hasty response:

"I can't explain right now, Sota! I'll tell you about it later!"

With that, she rushed down the stairs and out the front door, thankfully avoiding her mother and grandfather on the way out (and grabbing her shoes, as well). The building containing the old well was just across the yard, and Sota didn't seem to be following her—she was grateful for that much, at the very least. Still, she'd exposed herself to someone… and now she was outside, completely naked, in front of the house. There was no way she would be getting back up to her room undetected. She hadn't realized it until now, but her heart pounded violently in her chest… this whole situation, it scared her, but it was also kind of… thrilling. Kagome violently shook her head, trying to get the thought out of it, and determined to see things through to the end. She had to get to that well—hopefully, Zero would offer her his "providence" at that point, and help her out of the awkward situation she was now in.

In but a few short strides, she had reached the entrance to the well. Wasting no time, she opened the sliding door to the building and quickly closed it behind her. The area was quite dark without the light from outside to see by; she had to be careful climbing down the steps. Feeling out the perimeter of the well with her free hand, she hoisted the bag up to her bust and held it over the well with both arms; again, she paused, thinking that perhaps this was her last chance to turn back. However, she knew inside that she had long since passed the point of no return, and with her final act of courage, released the bag. She expected it to immediately fall into the well, but to her surprise, the bag levitated for a moment upon being released from her grip, supported by an unseen force. It gently lowered itself into the well below… Kagome expected to hear it hit the bottom of the well, long dry, but after several silent seconds, she looked down into the well to find that the bag had mysteriously vanished. Obviously this was Zero's doing… he must be nearby.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. The ceremony had been completed… or at least, it seemed to be. Now she could approach her family directly and explain her circumstances to them openly. It would still be an awkward meeting, she realized, and they would no doubt take some convincing, but if Zero had kept his word, she was now under his care, and would not be facing this trial alone.

"He'd better deliver on that providence of his," she thought to herself, "or… or… well, god or not, I'll find a way to make him pay."

She returned inside to find the entire family gathered in the dining room, just as Zero had predicted. This gave her some confidence in his words… however, needless to say, they were all still shocked to see her walk into the room, completely exposed.

"Kagome! What on earth is the matter with you?" her grandfather started.

"You see? You see? I told you she was doing something weird!" cried Sota.

"Oh… oh my." Her mother had no further reaction. Mustering her courage (but still blushing and trembling to a noticeable degree), Kagome began her explanation.

"I… I have something very important to tell you all, so… please, hear me out."

The situation was a very strange one, but the significance of what she was about to say was not lost on her family. They listened, somewhat uncomfortably, but intently, as she explained to them her meeting with Zero, and her now-sealed contract with him as god and disciple. The fear that her family would not believe her and instead think her mad resonated in every one of Kagome's words. When she was finished, her grandfather appeared contemplative; her brother, sarcastic and doubtful; her mother's expression was the most unsettling, though. Her eyes told Kagome that she wanted desperately to support her daughter, but hadn't believed a word of her claims. Just as Kagome felt about as low as she ever had, though, someone finally broke the silence:

"Well, Kagome, you're a very lucky girl, winning the favor of a god!"

It was her grandfather, the most superstitious member of the family, but a respected one nonetheless. Sota couldn't help but look at him in shock.

"What? What are you talking about, Gramps?"

"Last night, I had a dream," the grandfather began. "…No, a prophecy. I was approached by a powerful figure calling himself Zero. He told me that great revelations lay ahead, and that a member of our family would soon be granted his blessing."

"I think this is a little too revealing, even for a revelation," Sota remarked snidely.

"Wait a minute," the mother started. "You met this 'Zero,' too? I thought that had just been a dream, maybe some character I'd forgotten about from an old movie…"

Kagome was stunned. It seemed she had never had any reason to worry at all; she really had been granted providence, even before the ceremony had been completed. She could feel the weight being lifted off her shoulders at this unexpected, but more than welcome, discovery.

"Ohhh… but I had so wished that it would be me that he picked."

Kagome stifled a laugh at this comment of her grandfather's, trying to shake the mental image of him going through Zero's ceremony.

"…you guys are all crazy," said Sota.

"Now, that's enough out of you!" started the grandfather, upset. "It's a great honor, becoming the disciple of a god! We should all support your sister in this pivotal time of her life!"

Her mother smiled gently. "I suppose Grandpa's right. Kagome, I… can't say I understand what you're going through, but you have our support."

Kagome teared a little as her grandfather continued with his own comment.

"The will of the gods isn't meant to be understood by humans. We will honor his wishes."

He said this rather haughtily. Grandfather was by far the most devout member of the family, and this experience had only strengthened his faith… perhaps in some ways a misstep on Zero's part. But, the worst part was now past, and Kagome was able to go on to explain what Zero's first orders for her had been; how she was now expected to spend all her time at the shrine unclothed. This caught her mother off guard—Sota even more so—but her grandfather didn't seem to react much. It seemed he was really determined to accept absolutely anything that a god may ask of the family.

"Well… I suppose… we could adapt," her mother began, speaking very hesitantly.

"Are you nuts?" Sota asked, being largely disregarded at this point.

"But what about the shrine patrons?" asked Ms. Higurashi, worried about the business. "If people get the wrong idea about our shrine, we may not be able to support the family…"

"Nonsense!" shouted Grandfather. "Why, when people learn that we've been visited by a god, we'll be beating away the crowds with sticks! Just imagine how many young men will come and pray! …why, I've got a few friends I might invite over…"

"G…Grandpa!" Kagome belted, appalled at the insinuation. Her mother and Sota blushed out of embarrassment at their elder's lecherous behavior. But at this point, Kagome couldn't help but smile. Despite all her fears, things hadn't changed. Her family still accepted her, as well as her new role as a god's disciple. For the first time since she came home today, she really felt as if things were going to work out all right.


	3. Chapter 2

Kagome woke up peacefully… it had felt strange, sleeping in the nude. She usually wore modest pajamas. It was quite comfortable, though, and she'd slept better than ever. "Maybe I should have done this before becoming Zero's disciple," she thought to herself. After a minute or two delaying the inevitable of getting up, she hoisted herself off her bed and meandered over to her dresser. Empty. "That's right…" she remembered. "At least I don't have to bother getting dressed in the morning," she thought, trying to make the best of her situation. Today was Sunday, meaning she had the entire day to relax. She wondered if maybe she should call her friends and go out on the town a bit—Zero said she would be allowed to wear clothes when she left the shrine, right? Or maybe it would be better to spend the day at home and get used to her new… circumstances. For today, she decided on the latter. She had a lot to get used to.

Stepping out of her bedroom and into the hallway, she couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom. It still felt very strange to her, walking around the house completely nude, but it was much more comfortable now than the last time she had done it, trying to scramble outside while avoiding the sights of her family. Once again, she ran into her brother on her way out, who was just stepping out of his own room in his pajamas. He looked at her and jumped a bit; it would take a little while before he was used to seeing the sight of his sister in full so regularly.

"Ka…Kagome, you… shaved."

He awkwardly tried to make conversation, eyeing the floor to avoid looking directly at his sister. Drawing a blank, he had blurted out the first thing he had happened to notice. Now that her secret place was no longer going to be secret, Kagome had shaven it the previous night, during her bath.

"I, uh… thought, y'know, I should at least… make it look nice." Her words were no less awkward than his. Still, the two were trying to get used to their unusual new relationship.

"So, uh…" Sota began. "You… really aren't allowed to wear anything at all? Even outside?"

"N…nope…" Kagome blushed profusely. Somehow it hit home a little harder when someone else said it to her aloud. She would probably stay inside today; she absolutely wasn't ready to be seen by shrine patrons.

"And… all of your clothes have been taken away? Even your shoes?"

"…that's right…" she replied.

Sota looked up at her, only briefly, then back down at the floor, this time contemplatively.

"…just a sec'."

He darted back into his room and shut the door behind him. Kagome could only stand in the hallway, curiously. Hopefully he would hurry, as she very much needed to use the restroom. After only a few seconds, Sota returned, clutching something white under his arm.

"It's… it's not much," he began, "but… here."

He held out a pair of young boys' briefs like he was giving a box of chocolates to his crush. His eyes again stuck to the floor, nervously fixed in a half-bowing motion, as if not looking her in the eye would somehow eliminate the chance of rejection. Kagome looked at the item; it was clear what Sota was trying to do, and it was a rather sweet gesture, but…

"Thank you, Sota… really, but… I don't think I'm allowed…"

"Well… when's the last time you've seen him?" Sota asked.

"…huh?"

"This Zero guy. Has he told you anything else?"

"Well, no…" started Kagome. "I haven't seen him since we met, when I got back from school yesterday."

"Well, if he has a problem with them, he'll tell you, right?"

"I mean, I guess so… but… are you sure these will even fit me?"

"Are you saying I have a tiny butt?" Sota asked, annoyed.

"N…no." Kagome giggled to herself a little, amused by the idea that her own nudity might cause her kid brother, of all people, to feel self-conscious. He was getting to that peculiar age, she supposed. Sota looked at her intently.

"I'll tell you what. This isn't a gift from me. It's a… an offering," he said. "Yeah, that's it. This is an offering, like the kind we take at the shrine. It's your duty as a shrine maiden to accept those, right?"

"Well, yeah… I suppose you're right."

"Great!" he exclaimed, hastily handing her the garment. He then ran back to his room, hoping to escape before she could provide any argument. "And don't worry! They're clean!" He made sure to add this afterthought.

Kagome was left standing in the hall, alone and naked, holding her kid brother's underwear. Life was a curious thing sometimes. She went to the bathroom and took care of her business. This gave her some time to think about Sota's words. "I wouldn't mind seeing him again…" she thought to herself about Zero." I'd like some more details about this 'disciple' thing. But… I don't really want to lure him out with some kind of trick, do I? I've heard about what happens when a god gets angry." The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea. For all she knew, Zero might be watching her this very moment, waiting to see what decision she would make. Maybe that was why he hadn't appeared since yesterday. Still… he didn't seem like the angry or vengeful type. And truthfully, it might be fun to be the one in control of him for a change. How would he react if he found out that she had put on clothing just to lure him out, and it had worked? It might knock the "all-knowing god" down a peg. But was it worth the risk?

Ultimately, Kagome made the decision in the same way she had dealt with undressing in front of Zero: Hastily, before she had a chance to think or doubt herself. With a quick yank, the briefs went up and fit her very snugly. They were tight, but they were better than nothing… hopefully. Her business finished, she washed her hands and headed downstairs for breakfast. She had eaten naked with her family the previous night; this time she would just be topless. Though, looking in the bathroom mirror, she did look rather odd wearing a pair of young boys' briefs. She wondered, if someone outside the family saw her, whether it would be considered more perverted to be wearing these or to simply be naked. Before she could dwell on such thoughts too much, she hurried down to the kitchen, where her family was waiting.

"Morning," she began.

"Kagome! Are those your brother's?" asked Grandpa. "You take those off right now!"

"C'mon, Gramps…" said Sota. "All her clothing's gone, but it's not like he told her she couldn't wear anyone else's."

"Is that true?" asked her mother, who was occupied bringing dishes to the table.

"Well… sorta…" said Kagome, unsure of herself.

"You know full well what Zero intended. Why, just this morning, he told me himself how you were supposed to dress!"

"You're telling me he visited you in your dreams again, Gramps?" Sota asked.

"Well… no…" he began. "But as soon as I woke up, I turned on the television, and it was tuned to a skin channel! Surely it was a sign!"

Once again, the family couldn't help but feel embarrassed by their kooky elder and his theories.

"Gramps…" Sota sighed, blushing nervously. It was imperative that the rest of the family never find out what he had been doing last night.

Kagome sat down and breakfast proceeded as normal. Grandpa tried to squeeze in a history lesson as Sota looked at the cat, Buyo, uninterested, and Ms. Higurashi ate her portion quietly. Kagome had learned that simply nodding every now and again was enough to keep her grandfather satisfied as he droned on with his lectures. After a couple of minutes, however, Kagome began to feel a strange sensation… at first, it was only a moment; a small twinge. Soon after, however, the feeling returned, exacerbated… continuous. It got to the point that she couldn't help but place her hand between her legs, trying to be as discreet as possible. Rubbing herself a bit, hoping to dispel the sensation, she continued to eat her breakfast with her free hand as if nothing was the matter, but as time passed, the feeling only intensified. Before long, Kagome's motions became violent. It was maddening—she couldn't stop for even a moment, or the searing itch would become unbearable. Her grandfather paused his lesson, noticing that something was clearly the matter. Ms. Higurashi was the first to make comment of it.

"Is something wrong, Kagome?"

"Ngh…" Kagome tried to maintain some level of dignity in this embarrassing situation. It seemed rather impossible at this point, however. Everyone could clearly see exactly where it was that was causing her problems. "Sota, you told me these were clean…!"

"They were! Don't blame me!" cried Sota. "…it must be because you shaved, or somethin'…"

"It's a curse," said their grandfather, not missing a beat.

"A curse?" asked the curious mother.

"You've angered the gods, young lady. I told you you should have done as you were asked. Now you're feeling the wrath of the heavens." Grandpa wore his usual self-assured "matter of fact" face as he stated this much. His confidence was impressive, if nothing else.

"Kagome, I'm sorry… maybe you should take those off," said Sota, reassuring her.

"That… might be best." Her mother blushed at the awkward situation, clearly the least trusting of Zero… especially after this incident, assuming that Grandfather's words were true.

Kagome agreed with this course of action, but felt it impolite to create laundry at the kitchen table, and excused herself to the hallway. Back up in her room, she quickly removed the offending garment, but the itching continued. Nervously pulling herself up to the mirror, she took a very close look between her legs, between passes of her hand. There was no rash, no swelling… it was as pretty and pink as her special place had always been, nothing visibly wrong at all. It couldn't have reacted this badly just to being shaven. What was going on?

"Your loyalties are lacking."

A voice from behind her spoke; a familiar voice… Zero's. She turned to see him standing coyly behind her. Instinctively, she yelped a bit, and covered her still-spread legs with both hands. Surprise was quickly replaced with anger.

"You did this, didn't you?" she asked him.

"Don't worry, it will only last a day," he assured her… though it wasn't much reassurance. "You really should have followed your orders precisely."

Kagome pouted. "You never told me I wasn't allowed to wear other people's clothes." She hoped he would side with her on this issue. Though, it was true… he had told her that she was to be naked at all times while at the shrine. He replied with his usual unimpressed smirk.

"You should count yourself lucky. Consider what might have happened had you tried such a stunt on a weekday."

Kagome contemplated. She truly had been lucky to have learned about this on Sunday, when she had planned to stay home for the day. Imagine what it might have been like had she been struck with this "curse" on a school day! Why, she would never live it down, were she forced to touch herself like this so fervently all through classes. Still, she was hardly appreciative, especially now that her entire day off would be restricted to one hand, the other occupied with…

She looked down at her person, now penetrating herself fully. Anyone unaware of her situation would without a second thought assume her to be masturbating most enthusiastically. It was even starting to show in her face, now flushed with strained pleasure. If she was made to continue this, she might even start to orgasm; already, she was panting at her own hand movements. Zero looked down at her one last time.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself. Maybe today won't be so bad, hm?" He turned to leave her. "I'm sure you'll make it to the end all right. Just endure, Kagome. Show me your strength."

Without another word, the manipulative god vanished into thin air. Looking at the state she had been left in, Kagome felt as if his power was truly without limits. Not good news for her… especially now that she knew she would be burdened as such for the entire day. Her hand had not stopped since she had begun masturbating in the kitchen, and would not stop anytime soon—the unbearable sensation that seemed to originate deep within her loins would not yield for even a moment, as she struggled to reach deeper and deeper with her fingers, twisting and rubbing more forcefully with each motion. Her body flushed red and she continued to pant louder, and faster, until finally, she reached her climax, soaking her left hand thoroughly. Unfortunately, even this would provide her no rest, as she had to resume her motions just as soon as this episode had ended, or else the feeling would overtake her.

She rose to her feet unsteadily, finding it difficult to support herself immediately after climaxing… she had planned to go back down to the kitchen and finish her breakfast, but perhaps it would be better if she just stayed in her room today and waited out her punishment. It wouldn't be a very interesting way to spend the day, but surely it would be better than allowing her family to see her in this sorry state. It was bad enough when she was at the kitchen table, and it just seemed like a particularly bad itch. If they saw her now, skin flushed, breath heavy, her fingers soaked and dripping, she would just be thought of as a pervert, and nothing more. Well… probably not. But she still preferred not to be seen in this compromising manner, if she could help it.

Before she could decide conclusively what her next course of action would be, Kagome heard a knock at the front door. Stepping out into the hallway and peeking down the stairway, she noticed her grandfather opening the door to her three friends: Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi.

"Hello, Mr. Higurashi," one of them began. "Is Kagome home?"

"Hmmm…" Grandfather thought to himself, looking up towards the stairwell. He caught a glimpse of Kagome there, desperately trying to give an "I'm not home" signal with her one free hand. Thankfully, he seemed to get the message, turning back to his three guests. "I'm sorry, girls, but Kagome is bedridden with a yeast infection today."

"G…Grandpa!" Kagome wanted to shout at him. Even if it had been true, which it wasn't, she would never have wanted him to tell her friends that.

"…oh, uh… that's too bad," said Eri. "We were going to invite her out for some karaoke," chimed Yuka.

Grandpa looked up towards the stop of the stairwell one more time, as if looking for confirmation; Kagome once again signaled an emphatic "no."

"The poor dear's not going anywhere today. But I'll let her know you stopped by."

The girls were disappointed, but left with little fanfare. His business at the door finished, Grandpa turned towards the stairwell and began walking towards it. With a small "eep!" Kagome pulled back into the hallway and dashed for her room, hastily shutting the door behind her before her grandfather could see what her left hand was doing. A few seconds later, she heard his voice outside the door:

"Still suffering that curse, are you? Well, I hope this will teach you to treat the gods with more respect."

Kagome almost felt like crying, now in this hopeless situation. Even if she had begun to cry, it wouldn't be audible over the panting caused by the action her body was performing. Her grandfather, being perceptive in his old age, caught the message nonetheless, and softened his criticisms.

"I'll bring your lunch up here, if you'd rather not come out."

Kagome felt a little better with this. Going down for her next meal was what she had been dreading most. Thankfully, it looked like it would be a non-issue, with her family's support. Though it still made her feel ashamed, them knowing exactly what she was doing in there. Perhaps it would be better if she did come out? …no, it's bad enough, them knowing; she'd never live it down if they all saw her in this pitiful state. The terrible feeling inside her seemed to have plateaued—which was good, because she didn't think she could abrase herself any more forcefully. She had already orgasmed twice at this point, and was quickly approaching her third; she was sweating, her hair a mess. She wondered if she could even walk at this point if she tried. Was this really going to continue for the rest of the day? She didn't think she could bear it.

Maybe a bath would help her relax. But taking one would require getting to the bathroom… she'd have to go at some point during the day, but was terrified that she might be seen. She couldn't bear the thought of her brother catching a glimpse of her, crawling across the floor, unable to walk, with her hand rigorously penetrating herself and her body red as a beet. Just imagining it, she felt as if she had gained a hue. Staying in her room seemed like the best option for now. For the next couple hours, she tried to kill time reading some books, but in each case she found herself unable to follow the stories; her mind always wandered to "other things." Not very surprising, considering her situation. Just as she was giving up on reading, she heard a knock on her door. Looking at the time, it was just around noon—it was probably Grandpa with her lunch. Crawling into bed, she pulled up the covers to hide her embarrassing activity and told him to come in.

Her mother came through the door carrying a plate and cup. Grandpa had mentioned to her that Kagome wanted her lunch brought up to her, and she thought it might be at least slightly better for her to see her daughter in this situation than it would for the old man. She tried not to stare, though it was made difficult by Kagome's disheveled appearance, muffled noises, and obvious motions under the covers. She placed the small meal on Kagome's bedstand; Kagome was very grateful, especially for the drink, as she had been incredibly thirsty for the past hour or so. She noticed her mother place something next to the plate, though… a small tube? She asked her mother what it was.

"Your grandfather didn't want me to give it to you, but… this is some ointment I keep around. It should help with your… problem," said her mother.

Kagome would have been embarrassed by this gesture, but at some point during the day her shame had capped out, and she felt only gratitude for her mother's thoughtfulness. Still, she declined.

"Thanks, but… ah… I can't," said Kagome. Her mother was confused by her refusal. "Grandpa's right… this… nnh… happened because I disobeyed Zero. If I tried to… mmm… escape my punishment, I would just be… !… given a worse one."

"Dear, listen to yourself. You can't…"

"Please, Mom." Kagome was determined in her answer. Her mother looked at her compassionately, desperately wanting to help.

"Are you sure…?" she asked.

"I'm sure."

Ms. Higurashi hesitantly picked up the tube, leaving the food and drink, and started out of the room. She took one last glance back at her daughter before shutting the door. But… as soon as the door shut, Kagome noticed something. Something felt strange. She stopped moving her hand… the terrible itching feeling was gone. Just like that, it had vanished. Was it because she had refused her mother's offer? Was this Zero acknowledging that she had "learned her lesson" about disobeying him? Whatever it was, she was all too glad to not have to deal with it anymore. She pulled off her covers and took a close look at herself. Her special parts may have looked normal at the start of her ordeal, but after countless orgasms and hours of constant abrasion, they were bright red, and somewhat swollen. The difference in skin tone between her loin and her stomach was as clearly noticeable as the difference between an apple and a banana. It was easier to hide than her hand's previous occupation pleasuring herself, but she still didn't want her family to see how "impassioned" the area had become.

Looking at the rest of herself in the mirror, she looked quite the sight. Her hair was askew, her face still flushed… and she was covered in sweat. It felt a little gross, now that her trial had ended. A bath would probably be the best thing for her right now, and so she started for the door… immediately falling over. Luckily, she had managed to catch herself with her hands in front of her—she probably wouldn't have been able to if one of them were still occupied. Her legs were still too weak to walk; she hadn't yet recovered fully. But that was okay. She was walking (er, crawling) on cloud 9, now that she was free again. After experiencing such a complete lack of freedom, it felt glorious to be in control again. She opened the door and, without another thought, began to inch her way to the bathroom.

Unfortunately for her, Sota was just going up to his own room again after lunch, and noticed her on his way up the stairwell. The two of them froze, staring at each other: Sota, one foot on the landing, looking awkwardly at his sister; Kagome, bright red, crawling on hands and knees across the hall floor. Kagome glared at him angrily; he should know not to judge her situation by now. This was enough to scare Sota into his room, as he didn't want to have another awkward confrontation with his "blessed" sister. Glad that she had avoided one herself, the almost triumphant Kagome continued on her way to the bathroom, ran some water, and thoroughly enjoyed herself for the next half hour. Her lunch would be waiting for her, cold, by the time she returned, but she was too pleased with herself to care. She had overcome temptation and, in the process, gained a little peace of mind.

She later called up her three friends and spent a pleasant afternoon with them.


	4. Chapter 3

A week passed, uneventfully. Every morning, Kagome would wake up naked, gather her things, have breakfast with her family, step outside, and find her uniform waiting for her in a small bag sitting in front of the old well. At first, she would always step inside the building and get dressed in privacy, but after almost being late one day, she decided it didn't really make much difference and began to dress outside. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone outside the family at the shrine during these early hours. Truthfully, her morning schedule hadn't changed that much—getting dressed had just moved from being her first activity to her last. In fact, it was starting to feel quite comfortable, being naked around the house. Her family had more or less gotten used to it, and she didn't mind it nearly as much as she once did. Being outside still made her nervous, however… and walking around the yard barefoot took some getting used to. She had to pay close attention to where she was walking; fortunately, though, Grandpa kept the yard in good order, sweeping it of debris regularly as part of his shrine duties.

Occasionally, she would spy Zero out of the corner of her eye, floating in the distance, perhaps watching her… but he hadn't approached her throughout the week. She was glad; this would give her time to get accustomed to her new role in life. It really wasn't so bad as she had feared it would be. She might even say she was enjoying it. Of course, she would never tell Zero as much; she could just imagine his smug expression. Though there was little doubt in her mind that, as a god, he probably knew. Monday came, then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Once again she enjoyed her Sunday with friends (and some of it finishing homework). She had considered telling them about her role as Zero's disciple, but decided that it was best to keep the number of people privy to her situation to a minimum. It wasn't really something they needed to know, she thought. Of course, if they ever visited her at the shrine, she might have to spill the beans.

The following Monday, Kagome noticed something peculiar. When she stepped outside in the morning and found her uniform waiting for her (freshly washed, as always—Zero took better care of it than she had), there was no bra in the bag. She looked around; Zero was nowhere to be seen. She considered her options… her mother's would never fit her, and it would be strange to call and ask her friends for something like that. And even if she did, was she supposed to? Did Zero do this intentionally? She didn't have time to think about it for too long—the clock was ticking, and she didn't want to be late. Deciding that it wouldn't really matter much for a single day, she went without. She put her blouse on right over her breasts (she always started with that, as it covered more and was less noticable from a distance, if anyone were to show up), followed by the rest of her uniform, and started off to school.

The weather was warming up, so she wasn't too worried; it was a warm and pleasant morning. Unfortunately, this weather would not continue throughout the day. In fact, by the time second period rolled around, the temperature had already grown quite nippy. Kagome couldn't help but feel self-conscious… certainly, no one else knew that she wasn't wearing anything under her blouse, but she knew, and spent the whole morning worrying that she might be found out. She had to look down every now and again to confirm that her nipples weren't poking through her shirt… which they were, on one or two occasions. She hoped and prayed that no one noticed.

Gym class proved to be a particular issue. It had completely flown her mind that she would have to change into her gym uniform in the locker room, with all of the other girls. She looked around, hoping that maybe some other girl wasn't wearing a bra—that maybe it was a normal thing for some people. She had never really looked around while other girls were dressing before to be sure. Unfortunately, all she saw was other girls laughing and chatting with each other, all equipped with appropriate underwire. She blushed. Deciding it to be the best way to deal with the situation, Kagome occupied herself with small talk, dismissing the issue whenever someone asked if her she was going to change, and finally, when the girls were all called outside, she told them that she would catch up. Once she was alone in the locker room, she changed as quickly as possible and ran outside, then apologized for being late.

The situation after gym transpired similarly. She brought her uniform over towards the showers, stepping inside in her gym uniform, undressing, taking a brief shower, drying off, and then dressing in her uniform with the small curtain still pulled. Hopefully no one had paid her any mind. She hoped this would not become a regular expectation, as it was quite the inconvenience. Kagome continued to worry that she might be discovered throughout the rest of the day; she noticed a couple of the boys staring at her once or twice, and blushed, but otherwise, it wasn't too bad. She returned home, as usual, disrobed in the well building, placed her clothes back in the bag from that morning, and dropped them into the well, where they would once again disappear. The rest of the day passed uneventfully.

Tuesday, she again found no bra in the bag. Her fears confirmed, she once again put her blouse on directly over her skin, and began thinking about how to handle the situation in gym… well beforehand, this time. She opened her umbrella—her mother had warned her that there were to be sudden downpours expected today. This made Kagome a little nervous, to say the least, but what could she do? She couldn't control the weather and she couldn't control Zero. As usual, her friends met her halfway to school, and the four of them walked together. Kagome held her umbrella open at all times, just to be safe—and a good thing, too, as a sudden rain came upon them in a flash, then disappeared just as quickly. Kagome managed to stay dry—her friends had huddled under Kagome's umbrella with her as quickly as possible, but didn't come out without a couple soggy areas. Still, they felt a little bad for poking fun at Kagome's seeming overpreparedness.

They reached the school gates, and it seemed like the four of them were home free. They were very nearly at the front door when a sudden wind picked up out of nowhere, pulling Kagome's umbrella right out of her hands and carrying it into the sky. She would, of course, have been quite upset by this, but she was more worried about the downpour that immediately followed. Just as she feared, Kagome, as well as her three friends, were quickly drenched. It now became very, very obvious that Kagome was not wearing a bra, much to her friends' surprise.

"Ka…Kagome?" Ayumi asked.

"I, uh… ran out of laundry…" Kagome said, embarrassedly trying to come up with an excuse. The other girls stared at her a bit, trying to think of a way to handle the situation.

"Umm… oh!" said Eri. "My house is the closest. I'll run and get you one of mine, okay, Kagome?"

"That's… that's okay," said Kagome, nervously. She was still worried about Zero. "It'll dry quickly. I'll just… cover up." She laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood with her friends as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Kagome, you're soaked through. Your shirt is completely transparent," argued Yuka. "You can't really go into class like that."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Kagome tried to reassure them, but they clearly weren't buying it. Still, if their friend insisted she was fine, it wouldn't make sense for them to go running halfway across town. They looked at her, uncertainly, hoping that she really would be okay.

Upon entering the classroom, all eyes were on Kagome. Understandable, given her appearance. She still had her arms crossed over her chest, trying to hide all the important bits. In an effort to defend her, Yuka stepped forward:

"What are you all staring at?"

At this somewhat aggressive outburst, everyone quietly turned back to their desks… at least, they tried to make it look that way. Kagome could see that many of her classmates were still eyeing her closely, trying to be discreet, probably hoping for her to move her arms. Was the thought really that enticing? She sat down at her own desk, placing a towel on the seat first (she had brought it just in case) and hoping that interest in her would die down once class started. The teacher entered the classroom, not even paying Kagome's state a second thought. This seemed a little peculiar, but then, her whole life had been pretty peculiar for the past week or so. She successfully managed to keep her arms in front of herself through the morning greeting, as well as through most of class. By the end of her first period, her shirt had dried at least somewhat—but her skin was still quite visible through the thin fabric. The moment their teacher stepped outside for a brief reprieve, several classmates—mostly curious girls—crowded Kagome.

"Wow, Kagome… I never thought you were so bold," one of them commented.

"Are you trying to get the boys to notice you more?" asked another.

"Look, I… My mom was doing laundry, and it just happened to rain today," said Kagome, trying to defend herself by maintaining her previous lie. "I just… got unlucky, that's all."

The girls seemed very disappointed with this answer. They poked a few more questions at her, but lost interest before too long—and with good timing, as the teacher stepped back through the door. Class continued uneventfully, lunch came and went (Kagome's shirt long dry by that time), and finally it came time for gym. In a way, the events of that morning had been a blessing of sorts, as everyone now knew and seemed to accept Kagome's "laundry predicament." She didn't have to worry too much about changing into her gym uniform without a bra on. As she did so, Kagome noticed one or two girls looking at her breasts with somewhat envious eyes; at least, that was her perception. After gym, Kagome showered as usual, then stepped out and got dressed in front of the curtain.

"Kagome…" Eri started. The school day had since ended, but the three girls couldn't help but ask some questions of their friend. "Has something happened to you?"

"Maybe a new boyfriend?" Ayumi asked.

"W…what? Why would you think that?" Kagome was a little startled that they would notice any difference in her behavior. Maybe it had been more conspicuous than she thought.

"First there was the shirt thing today," Yuka began, "…and then, in gym class, you acted like you weren't bothered at all being naked in front of everyone."

"…Eh?" Kagome didn't know how to respond.

"It's nice to see that you're confident, Kagome, but it feels a little bit like you're trying to show off," accused Yuka.

"I heard you even shaved your… well… you know…" said Ayumi, shyly.

As her friends, Kagome took their criticisms to heart, and tried her best to reassure them.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable."

She hesitated for a moment, considering how much she should tell them next.

"There… is something that happened to me recently," she began, "but… I'd rather not get you girls involved, all right?"

The girls paused, then huddled, looking at eachother quite seriously.

"New boyfriend," they all said in unison.

"W-what? No!" Kagome stammered, annoyed by their inaccurate conclusion.

"Don't worry, Kagome… we can keep your secret!" Ayumi assured her.

"You have to tell us all about him, the next time we go out somewhere, though!" chimed Eri.

"Just don't get too carried away with him," warned Yuka, jokingly.

Before Kagome could manage a response, the three of them had playfully made their exit. Kagome knew that this would undoubtedly cause problems for her in the future… but for the time being, it was better than them knowing about Zero. That could wait until the necessary time came. As long as they were satisfied, she was satisfied. When Kagome returned home that day, she noticed her umbrella waiting for her neatly beside her empty clothing bag; this whole day had definitely been Zero's work.

Wednesday came, and Kagome was happy to find that her bag of clothing did include a bra this time. Unfortunately, the same was not true for panties. Not good. Was she really expected to go to school… without wearing any? No way. That would be way more noticeable than not wearing a bra. If anyone saw her…! It was something she didn't really want to think about. Then again…

She turned the bag inside out, hoping that by some small chance she might have just not noticed something inside, but… no such luck. It looked like this was really what was going to be expected of her today. Zero was getting bolder and bolder, and she didn't approve of this trend one bit. She would have to talk to him one of these days, and soon. But for now, she had to get going—and so, off she went, still bare beneath her skirt.

Just like Monday, she spent the entire day nervous; fidgeting a bit, hoping no one would see. As long as she kept her legs closed whenever she sat down, it shouldn't be a problem… she just hoped that no sudden gusts of wind or missteps on her part would reveal her secret. Fortunately, for all her worrying, no such hazard transpired. In gym, she put on her shorts before removing her skirt; she survived the whole day without being found out.

Thursday. No bra, no panties. This was just going to keep getting worse, wasn't it? Kagome feared what Friday could possibly bring. How much worse could things get? He wouldn't… Zero wouldn't expect her to go to school naked, would he? That was just too much—there's no way she could do that. The fear of what came on the morrow occupied Kagome's mind far more than her exposed underskirt that day, or her thin blouse. She didn't even notice her legs starting to relax and spread apart slightly, providing a partial view to a couple of, needless to say, very surprised boys towards the front of the class. When she saw one of them who had just finished writing on the board turn around and stare for a moment, she realized what was happening and quickly closed her legs, blushing profusely. She had to stifle her reaction, hoping to avoid drawing further attention to herself.

The next day wasn't even an issue anymore; she had been seen, and the more the day dragged on, the more prominent this realization became in her mind, and the worse she felt about it. Surely the whole school would know before long. Already, she could see the boy from the front of the class whispering to his friends; immediately after, the friends would look her way, and appear visibly disappointed… probably in seeing her legs closed. This wasn't going to be shrugged off like yesterday. Fortunately, no one thought to swarm her before the end of classes… and before that could happen, she picked up her bag (already packed) and left the classroom as quickly as possible to avoid being confronted. Luckily she made it out of the room safely, and then out towards the school gates—it was here that she was called to by one of her friends, though.

"Kagome!" shouted Eri. Kagome stopped, not wanting to reject her friends. She turned to face them, and they immediately noticed that she had tears in her eyes.

"Kagome, what's going on?" Ayumi asked warmly. "Please tell us."

"And don't say you ran out of laundry again," warned Yuka.

Kagome was cornered. It was quickly starting to look like she would be forced to tell them about Zero… perhaps that was for the best. Zero had said that their relationship wasn't a secret. At least, not from her family… hopefully he wouldn't have any problem with her telling her friends. She wished she had had the opportunity to ask him directly, though. Her mind made up, Kagome invited them to their usual hangout—WacDonald's, of course—so she could tell them all about it. Instead of their usual booth, they got a quiet table in the far back of the restaurant, where no one would overhear their conversation.

"All right, so spill," demanded Yuka.

"What's he like?" Eri asked.

"He? He who?" questioned the confused Kagome.

"You know, your new boyfriend, the one asking you to do all these things," Ayumi clarified.

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" exclaimed Kagome. Though… actually, she was closer than she knew.

"I mean… it's kind of like that, in a way, but not. You know?"

Her friends looked at her, confused. Kagome started from the beginning. She told them about Zero's first visit, how she had been chosen as the disciple of a god, her duties as a shrine maiden, and her family's support. She was blushing from the start of her first sentence to the period ending her last. Her friends looked no less confused than they had at the start of the tale… or perhaps not confused, but simply in shock. They wanted to believe her, but honestly thought she was pulling their collective legs.

"Look, I…" Kagome thought to herself. They needed proof. Maybe if they met him? But… she didn't know of any way to summon Zero. She knew it would look strange, but without any other ideas, she called his name: "Zero!" …no response. Her friends looked at her, awkwardly. After a moment's passing, however, she heard a voice in her head:

"Meet me in front of the old well."

It was Zero's; he had been listening after all. Typical meeting place… Kagome wondered if perhaps there was something tying Zero to the old well. She had been avoiding bringing her friends home with her, and had hoped desperately that they would not come and visit the shrine on their own, but knew that it was an inevitability. Besides, whether they believed her or not, they knew about her circumstance at this point… if she had to undress in front of them, at least they would understand why.

"Let's go to my house. You can meet him yourself there."

"Amused" would be the best way to describe the girls' reaction. They were presently of the opinion that Kagome was trying to play some kind of game with them, in an effort to hype up this new boyfriend of hers. "If he's got her calling him a god, he must be pretty good-looking," Ayumi thought to herself. Eri didn't mind the embellishment; she was a romantic. When the four girls arrived at the shrine, they first went over to the front door so that Kagome could drop off her book bag. As she bent down to place it on the wooden porch, she noticed the door opening in front of her, and heard three familiar voices in unison:

"Welcome home, Kagome!"

She looked up to see something she was not at all expecting: Her three family members stood in the doorway, welcoming her… all stark naked. She stared, unsure of how to react. Her friends stared from behind her, facing the same problem. Her family stared at her friends staring, and after an incredibly awkward moment's pause, fell apart in a panic. Ms. Higurashi was mortified… and worried as much about the shrine business as she did her own dignity.

"We're ruined…"

"I told you this was a dumb idea, Mom," said Sota. He and his mother were making some effort to crouch and hide themselves at this point; Grandfather stood proudly in place.

"Well I, for one, am proud to serve the will of the gods. Hmph."

Ignoring her grandfather's dedication, Kagome quickly closed the door in front of them, leaving just her and her friends outside, stunned.

"What was THAT?" asked Yuka, rather forcefully.

"I think… they were doing it for me," said Kagome. She wasn't quite sure why, but she had to stifle her own amused giggle. Rather than try to explain further, she decided that things would make more sense if they met Zero before anything. The four of them tentatively walked over to the old well building and stood before it. "This is the place."

"All right, so where's this 'Zero' then?" asked Yuka, growing a little impatient with the absurdities.

Kagome looked around. No sign of him. She opened the door—he wasn't inside, either. She swallowed, knowing exactly what she had to do before he would appear. Making haste, she removed her shoes, socks, skirt, and blouse…

"K…Kagome!" stammered the surprised Ayumi.

Kagome placed her clothing in the bag, as usual, and released it into the well. She turned to face her friends, in full form. They stared at her, and at the well behind her, once again at a loss for a reaction. After several seconds, however, a bright light shone out of the well; Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri all shielded their eyes as a figure began to rise out of it, levitating as he always did. Kagome turned around excitedly, glad that he had really appeared—it would have been humiliating, trying to explain everything that had happened to her friends without any real evidence. When the light died down and Zero hovered above the well, the three girls gazed upon him and stared… at one part, in particular.

"I am known as Zero, god of truth and passion, as well as Kagome's teacher," he began. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He reached his hand out to them, inviting a handshake. The three were still stunned to see that he actually existed, and blushing at his appearance. Eri shook his hand mechanically.

"Everything Kagome has told you is the truth, and all of her recent actions have been due to my influence."

Kagome blushed. She didn't want to remember some of the things she'd been through… in fact, she wasn't sure she'd quite forgiven Zero for all of them.

"By the way, Kagome…" he began, spontaneously changing the topic. "That was a beautiful thing your family did for you just now. I'm sure it took them a lot of courage."

Kagome's friends finally snapped out of their trance, but continued staring at the being hovering before them. Kagome responded contemplatively

"Y…yeah…"

She felt a poke in her back: Yuka's. Kagome had almost forgotten that her friends were still there, and invited them up to her room. Not sure what else to say, they nodded quietly, and the three of them started for the front door. Before Kagome left the well, she asked Zero when she might see him again. He smiled in his usual way.

"I'm happy to appear before you anytime. You need only call for me."

Was that true? Had she really not seen any of him all this time just because she hadn't called for him? She couldn't help but feel a little bit stupid if this were the case. But, for now, her friends were waiting for her; she left the well, opened the front door, and brought them into the house. As they passed by the entrance to the dining room, her friends continued past, but Kagome couldn't help but double back and notice her family sitting around the table, now clothed, with cups of tea and a depression so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. She smiled reassuringly and addressed them.

"Hey… thanks for that, all of you," she began. They glanced at her, no less ashamed. "Don't worry… my friends know about Zero now. They won't tell anyone about what happened."

"Eh? Kagome, is that wise?" asked her grandfather, concerned (and clearly the least shaken of the three).

"He introduced himself; he doesn't seem to be shy," said Kagome. "Actually, I'm starting to think he's not such a bad guy."

"Kagome!" …a call from upstairs. Ayumi's. Kagome hurried up to her friends, leaving her family downstairs. Had she really believed what she'd just said? Certainly, Zero always behaved in a warm and benevolent fashion, but… if anyone else had made her do the things she had been doing, she'd have strangled the guy. What was it that made him different?

These thoughts occupied her mind as she reached the top of the stairwell to see her friends waiting in front of her bedroom door. Their faces changed a bit when she came into view in the hallway; unlike her family, they still were not at all used to seeing her naked like this. Kagome opened the door, and the four of them stepped into her bedroom and relaxed, taking some time to talk amongst themselves.

"So… all of it's really real, huh?" asked Yuka.

"…yep," Kagome replied.

"You've been like this at home, twenty-four hours a day?" Eri asked, curiously.

"For almost two weeks now."

The three girls looked at her curiously for a moment; then, a knock at the door. Kagome's grandfather stepped in carrying some cups of tea.

"Your mother is still too ashamed to come upstairs. Hmph," he began. "Well, I know the importance of hospitality."

He set the tray in front of the four girls, who thanked him politely before he took his leave.

"You know, about what Zero said…" began Ayumi. "It really was sweet of your family to do that for you. I'm sorry we had to be there to ruin it for them."

"Oh, that? No, they'll get over it," Kagome assured. "Trust me, I speak from experience."

Her friends looked at each other, then at Kagome, sitting stark naked in front of them. They leaned forwards, deviously.

"So… have the two of you… done it?" asked Yuka.

"W…what?" Kagome stammered.

"You know, you and Zero," clarified Eri.

"Surely he's made a move on you by now," Ayumi's contribution.

"N-no! Our relationship is nothing like that!" Kagome insisted.

The three girls once again looked at each other, disappointedly, and sunk bank to their original sitting positions.

"That's too bad…" began Eri. "Being hand-picked by a deity, forbidden love between god and mortal… it's so romantic…"

"I'll bet he'd give up his immortality to be with you," remarked Ayumi.

"Oh, wouldn't that be something?" said Eri, excitedly.

Kagome dismissed their speculations as groundless, wishful thinking, making it clear to them that there was nothing romantic going on between she and Zero. Still, it wasn't as if such thoughts hadn't crossed her mind. Despite how she should feel about his actions, she didn't hate the guy… but she didn't think she had feelings for him, either. The truth was, she didn't really know anything about him. It might be worth it, she thought, to summon him more often, and get to know him a little… assuming he would allow it. Kagome's discussion with her friends carried on in much the same manner, the conversation moving elsewhere but always coming back to the topic of Zero and her training. It was rather nice, Kagome thought, to be able to have these kinds of discussions with them freely, as if nothing in her life had really changed. After their friendly departure, Kagome considered calling Zero to ask him about their relationship, but ultimately decided that her day had been quite long enough, and that it could wait until tomorrow. She went to bed early soon after dinner, drifting peacefully to sleep.

The following morning: Friday. Just as the previous day, Kagome found her bag of clothing to contain shoes, socks, a skirt, and a blouse. Things seemed to be no different than they had been on Thursday… until she unfolded the blouse and held it up before her. It wasn't her blouse. It wasn't her normal blouse at all. This was a new one, made in the same style and color scheme… but sleeveless and cut to a midriff—an extremely short one, at that. She put the thing on, and… it almost looked like the sort of thing a cheerleader might wear, but even they wouldn't dare dress in something this short. The blouse hovered over her bare breasts, only just concealing her nipples by not a millimeter; if anyone looked at her from any perspective but from above, they would be very clearly visible. If she wore this to school, it would undoubtedly label her a pervert for life.

Less than satisfied with this choice of attire, and now armed with the ability to do so, Kagome immediately called for Zero… who, making his usual enigmatic appearance, greeted her from behind. Turning to face him, she immediately chastised him for expecting her to wear such a revealing thing. He chuckled in response.

"I think your lower half would be much more noticeable, as you are now."

Kagome looked down. She had been so caught up with the outrageous blouse that she hadn't yet put her skirt on, and hastily did so, embarrassed and annoyed by Zero.

"That's not the point, and you know it!" she cried.

"If you feel so very strongly about it, you don't have to wear the blouse," said Zero. "You're more than welcome to go without it."

"I…!" Kagome was not amused by this response. She did really consider for a moment, however, whether it might appear sluttier to be topless or to wear this atrocity. Ultimately, she decided that, suggestive or not, something was better than nothing. Clearly she wasn't going to get anywhere arguing with him on this matter; this was one time that she desperately wished she might be able to oppose Zero's orders, but the more she thought about it, the more clear it became to her that she simply had no means of fighting him. He had all the power in this situation. She really had to wonder what she could have been thinking the previous night, considering that she could ever have feelings for him. Perish the thought.

"Qualms aside, I wish you a fine day at school," said Zero, waving her farewell as she started off. Empty words—she wouldn't forgive him that easily; Kagome did not respond.

Once again, she met up with her friends halfway to the school, and received their first reactions to her revealing attire.

"Oh, wow, Kagome, you're not really wearing that to school, are you?"

"That's so bold of you…"

"This is something he made you do, isn't it?" The last comment was Yuka's.

"That's right!" started Kagome, still upset with Zero. "And I'll be giving him a piece of my mind about it later!"

Her friends were impressed with Kagome's audacity, but her fire dwindled as they walked through the town. Everyone Kagome passed couldn't help but stare at her; some curiously, some enthusiastically, others with disdain. These were the most unpleasant gazes. She was worried, dressed like this, that someone might even report her to the police… but fortunately, that didn't happen, and the four of them reached the school successfully. Not that Kagome felt much better about being there than she did about being in town. As they passed through the gates, Kagome swallowed nervously. There were other students all around her, most coming into the school just as she was; some chatting outside the front as she passed them by. None of them failed to notice her rather outspoken fashion choice.

Kagome couldn't help but blush as her breasts bounced in and out of view with every step; she did her best to walk evenly, creating as little movement as possible, but there was only so much she could do. "This shouldn't be that bad," she thought to herself. "I've been completely naked at home for weeks. I shouldn't be bothered just by people seeing my breasts." She tried to convince herself that this was the same situation, to calm herself down… but she knew that the situation was very different. She knew that none of these people knew about Zero, or about her orders; she knew they would immediately assume her to be some kind of exhibitionist, think her a hopeless pervert. Maybe they were right. Who else but a pervert would be doing the things she was doing? Wouldn't a normal person have put up more of a fight against such outrageous demands?

But maybe she was being too hard on herself. She still remembered what an ordeal it had been the last time she had tried to disobey Zero—and that had been something she had to experience at home. The thought of having to go through something like that at school, for everyone to see… the very idea mortified her. This was what she had to avoid at all cost; this was the reason she was doing what she was now, walking through the school with her breasts all but exposed for all to see. Once more, the realization that she was not wearing panties hardly even occurred to her, she was so thoroughly occupied with thoughts of her blouse; she likely revealed herself carelessly once or twice, too distracted to pay it any mind. Her outfit, in turn, distracted several of her classmates enough for them to pay the class little mind. The teacher was mildly irritated by this, but to Kagome's surprise, still he did not say a word about her dress (though it was clear that he wanted to). Zero must have approached him beforehand, she thought.

The day passed; gradually, the other students got tired of staring, and Kagome stopped reacting. There was only so much mileage that could be gotten out of a skimpy outfit. The worst that happened was Kagome overhearing some rather hurtful gossip about her during break periods and after classes. She wondered if it might be time to tell her classmates about Zero… and would it even help her reputation at this point? Would he appear in front of so many people at once? She still had it in her mind that he would not want to appear in front of crowds, given that he so rarely appeared to her, even in private. But that may have been simply because she hadn't been summoning him.

After her walk home from school, earning several leers from interested (and some mildly offended) cityfolk, Kagome disrobed as usual and went up to her room. The entire way back, she had been considering whether or not to call upon Zero and give him a piece of her mind… she knew it would be fruitless, but it might at least make her feel better. She plopped down on her bed to weigh her options, and noticed something sitting on her nightstand… it was… a box of chocolates? Zero's name was affixed to the package. The nerve of him! Making her go through all these trials and then thinking he can make up for it with a cheap gesture like this. She was more annoyed than ever. Too annoyed to deal with an argument right now; she decided that the rest of the day would be hers, and spent it relaxing. "One more day… one more day," she thought. Tomorrow was her last school day, and then she would have the weekend to re-center herself.

Saturday came. A short day, but a school day nonetheless. Kagome was not surprised to see her outfit today; the same blouse from yesterday returned, and this time, a skirt to match. The skirt was so short that it only drifted over her special parts, and then only if viewed from above. Standing from more than a few feet away, she was sure her opening would be clearly visible. And that wasn't even considering the rear view. Her entire butt was going to be on full display. The skirt was so short that she wouldn't even have to rearrange her clothing in order to go to the bathroom; all she had to do was sit down. For as much as this outfit covered, she might as well be naked, she thought to herself. Though, once again, shaking these thoughts from her head, she assumed the "something is better than nothing" mindset and took her leave.

The looks from townsfolk doubled. Her friends were amazed that Kagome had the will to endure such a trial, and her tribulations only continued when she entered the classroom. Over the course of the day, she was forced to grow accustomed to the leering and ogling of her peers. She didn't even make the effort to hide her body anymore; there was no longer any point. She was sure she must have spent the entire day red as a cherry, and it didn't help that the gossip from yesterday had only compounded. When noon finally came, Kagome left for home, understandably very frustrated. She reached the shrine and couldn't help but feel glad to be disrobing. She got less attention naked than she did dressed like that; at least at home, she knew what to expect, and was comfortable with her environment.

She stopped to contemplate her own cognition. Had she really just felt relieved to get nude? Thought it better than being clothed? Was she mad? No normal person would think that way, would they? Surely she was turning into a degenerate; a pervert, just as her classmates had labeled her. This made her feel the worst of all… the thought that they might be right. As she placed her last article of clothing into the bag, and released it into the well as she always did, she couldn't help but tear up a bit. Why did she have to be the one to do this? What good was any of it doing her? She wished she could see what it was Zero thought he was teaching her, because she obviously wasn't learning anything she considered important. Trying her best to regain her composure, she hid her tears from her family on the way into the house, and immediately made her way up to her room. Her eyes shut tightly, a couple of tears rolled down her face.

"You seem troubled."

A familiar voice resonated in her ears, and she opened her eyes. There was Zero, standing in her room by the window. This was either the best possible timing, or the worst.

"Why are you making me do this?" she asked, hurt, angry, and trying once again to stifle her tears. Zero looked down, contemplatively. Silence.

"Well…" he eventually began, "I could tell you, but I don't think you're at a point yet that you would understand."

Kagome did not appreciate his cryptic-as-usual answer.

"But… let me ask you a question," he continued. Kagome listened, anxious for an explanation. "How did you feel when you came home on Monday?"

"Do you really have to ask?" said Kagome, irritated. "I felt embarrassed, nervous. I'd had to hide myself all day long."

"And Wednesday?" he continued.

"I felt even worse. Someone saw me in class," she continued. "Now everyone is talking about what a pervert I am." Her tears began to well up once again, now reminded of her pitiable situation.

"What about today?"

"Today was the worst of all!" she shouted. "By the time I got home, I…" she hesitated. Zero waited patiently for her response. "Well, I felt like… like it didn't even matter if I was naked or not. I was better off that way." Zero seemed satisfied with this response; Kagome, however, was not. "But I'm not! It's fine at home, but no one at school knows about you! I can't expose myself there without…" she sniffled, clearly upset at her predicament. Sobbing quietly to herself as she thought about how her reputation would never recover; she'd never get into a good college, find a real boyfriend, or be thought of as anything but "that slut."

Zero allowed her a moment of reflection, then stood upright. He slowly and calmly walked towards her, moving almost silently. When he was but a foot away from her, she looked up, sensing his presence… and he embraced her. It was not a romantic embrace, despite both of them being completely unclothed, but one of compassion and understanding… almost fatherly, it felt to Kagome. She didn't move or fight it; she was too surprised to react, in part, as it was the first sign of actual affection Zero had ever given her… aside from perhaps the chocolates. She remained enthralled in his embrace for a moment or two, as it was the first time she had ever hugged anyone naked—a strange feeling, but one that somehow made him feel even closer to her than if they had hugged while clothed. She could feel his body warmth against hers; it was a pleasant sensation.

"All will be taken care of," he told her softly. "Despite what you might think, and how it might seem… I'm never happy to see you unhappy."

She still wasn't sure if she entirely believed this, but something about the way he spoke was reassuring. He had resolved the situation with her family before things got unbearable, and even helped to make her friends aware of her situation, and both were now completely accepting of her status as Zero's disciple. If nothing else, she decided, he was a god of his word… and if he told her everything would be okay, she felt inclined to believe him. At least, at this very moment. Maybe everything really would turn out all right.


	5. Chapter 4

Kagome awoke on Sunday feeling fresh and invigorated, as if she had been born anew. Call it catharsis if you will, but ever since Zero's show of compassion the previous day, all of her problems had felt so small, like they weren't even problems at all. Maybe they weren't. Maybe it was just her making problems of them. Whatever the case may be, she had decided that, come Monday, she would tell everyone about Zero… and if that meant she would have to start going to class naked as well, so be it. Everyone else had been so understanding so far, so why not her classmates? In preparation, she determined, she would spend today helping her grandfather work at the shrine, outdoors, and hopefully get used to being seen by people. A difficult, but necessary step. Today was the Spring Equinox—not a holiday that people traditionally visit shrines for, but traffic would be at least slightly higher than on a typical day. This was perfect, as she didn't feel she would have the courage to do this on a major holiday, during which the shrine would be bombarded with visitors.

She walked downstairs cheerfully and had her usual breakfast with her family. Grandpa got started on one of his stories again; Sota ignored him, and Mother kept her distance from the topic, eating peaceably. Nothing ever really changed. The end of breakfast brought the inevitable conversation starter.

"Hey, Grandpa..." Kagome began, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "I was thinking I'd help you out with the shrine today, 'kay? You know, since it's the Equinox and all."

"Hm? Today? Well, we might get a few extra patrons, but it's nothing I can't handle, dear," her grandfather responded.

"And besides," began her mother, "what would happen if you were to be… seen? By strangers?"

Yesterday's Kagome would have blushed at this question. Today's… well, she probably still did a little bit, but she was determined. "If things are going to continue like this, then I'm going to be seen eventually. We might as well prevent any misunderstanding now."

Ms. Higurashi was obviously worried, but Kagome's grandfather grinned happily. "Smart thinking, Kagome! I always knew you had the shrine's best interests at heart!"

"But…" her mother started. "Do you think people will really believe in Zero?"

"Yeah, even you hadn't heard of him, Gramps," added Sota.

"Oh, nonsense. If Kagome truly has the blessings of a god, I'm certain things will work out. Right, Kagome?"

Kagome felt more confident in that truth now than she ever had previously. "That's right, Grandpa."

"I'd sure like to meet this 'Zero' character…" said Kagome's mother, offhandedly.

Kagome paused for a moment at this comment, realizing that none of her family had actually seen or met Zero in person yet. Given that it took that much for her to convince her friends, it was pretty amazing that they were so supportive of something that they didn't even have any solid proof of, aside from those dreams of theirs. Zero hadn't minded showing himself to the girls, so she wondered…? Maybe it would be all right for him to meet the family? After a moment of contemplation, she called out for him: "Zero?"

A moment's pause. "Eh? Kagome?" Her grandfather was confused at the sudden declaration, but waited with the others. Silence.

"I'd… rather not meet your mother."

"…eh?" Kagome wasn't expecting this answer to resound in her head. It was the first time Zero had sounded in any way nervous or vulnerable. It almost made Kagome laugh a bit. Still, why would he not want to meet her, specifically? Maybe because he thought she wouldn't like him? Seeing her first and possibly only chance to get back at him a little by making him the uncomfortable one, she called him more insistently: "You get out here right now!"

Moments passed in silent stasis. After several seconds, a light was seen shining from the hallway… and moments later, a figure appeared from behind the doorframe. Long, black hair, slightly muscular build, those warm but piercing eyes… it was Zero, no doubt. Kagome couldn't believe that that had worked. He walked over to the table, confident as always, but clearly with some reservations, and stood before the family, who couldn't help but stare; somehow he wasn't what they were expecting.

"I am the god known as Zero. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He reached his hand out to no one in particular, and Grandfather, rather than taking it, quickly bowed in respect. After he was finished, he erected himself, eager as a school boy, and reached for the outstretched hand… but his opportunity was stolen from him by Ms. Higurashi, who grasped Zero's hand **firmly** and shook it.

"Ms. Higurashi. Charmed," she said, with a noticeable hint of sarcasm to her voice. It had been long clear to Zero that she was very protective of her daughter and, god or no god, did not approve of his training. Kagome's grandfather was crushed by missing his chance to greet a god, but attention was instead on the conversation between Zero and her mother. "Funny," she began, "you look no older than 16 or 17 in human years." Her insinuation was clear.

"You doubt my divinity?"

"Maybe I do," her response.

"Perhaps this will ease your mind." Zero glanced towards a teacup that sat idle on the kitchen table, and it began to levitate into the air, completely unsupported.

"Whoa! Awesome!" remarked a suddenly-interested Sota.

"Truly, the power of the gods is to be feared!" Grandfather's comment.

"You know… I've heard stories of humans who could do things like that," replied the missus, clearly unconvinced. This was one stubborn woman.

Taking another cup of tea, still with some liquid in it, he held his hand around the outside of the cup… and in but a moment, the tea was brought to a boil. Zero looked at Kagome's mother expectantly.

"Parlor tricks," she replied. She wasn't even trying to be subtle anymore.

"Mom, come on…" said Kagome, a little embarrassed that she had forced this confrontation. Both her mother and Zero were determined, however.

"I have one more thing that may convince you," Zero began, "provided you don't mind if I make a brief mess of your kitchen."

"Not at all!" said Grandfather giddily, before his daughter-in-law could muster a response. She wasn't particularly happy with this answer, but was eager to see what Zero was going to show her… not that she would ever acknowledge it.

Without another word, Zero grasped his own arm… his eyes suddenly widened and, in an instant, his own limb had been severed. Blood spilled all over the floor as Zero combatively held his now-disembodied left arm in his right, obviously proud of his own unbelievable show of conviction.

"W…what are you doing?!" Kagome cried. Sota and Grandpa just stared at the outrageous display. It was simply too much to believe.

After a moment's passing, Zero disappeared with his arm… then reappeared, good as new, as if it had never been removed at all. He anxiously awaited a response, but Ms. Higurashi was not willing to give him one. Annoyed at her lack of reaction, but true to his word, Zero glanced down at the now-gruesome floor beneath him, which began to glow as the pool of blood seemed to vanish into oblivion. Afterwards, the white tile was left looking brand new. This, of all things, shocked Kagome's mother.

"There's no stain…" she stammered, awestruck. Reluctantly, she was forced to admit: "All right, maybe you are a god."

Silence. Then, more silence, as everyone tried to process Ms. Higurashi's absurd thought process. In seconds, all of them had broken into a laugh.

"…but don't think that means you can do whatever you want with my daughter, all right?" Kagome's mother broke the chain of laughter with this stern comment. Despite her obvious aggression, the mood had certainly improved from the state it was in previously.

"You should know, dear, that you and I are alike in at least one way," Zero remarked. "It may not seem it, but we both want only what is best for Kagome." The mother eased up on her abrasion for a moment to hear him out, as Zero continued. "Whether you think a mother or a god has more authority… well, I just hope that you'll trust that my intentions are pure."

Ms. Higurashi looked at Zero judgementally, as if to make it clear that she absolutely believed a mother had more authority in this matter… but her animosity had faded, at least somewhat. After a moment's contemplation, she relented. "All right then… I'll trust you," she began. "For now." The rest of the family was quite glad to see that the fighting was over; Kagome in particular wanted to relieve the tension still lingering in the air. She smiled, a little forcedly, thinking of some way to break the gathering.

"Thanks for the food, Mom!" She quickly made for the stairwell, pulling an unwitting Zero behind her. In stark contrast to their normal relationship, he had been surprisingly obedient with her today. She wondered if maybe he was always this reasonable, and she just hadn't taken advantage of it until now… though the thought of "taking advantage" of him left a bit of a sour taste in her mouth. Once the two of them were back up to her room, she closed the door behind them. Zero looked at her, awkwardly.

"Ehhh… sorry, heheh," started Kagome. "I guess I can see why you were nervous about meeting my mother."

"She's quite a woman… though I can't say that's in all ways a compliment," said Zero.

"Still… I think it was good that you met them," Kagome clarified. Zero listened with interest. "You couldn't exactly go on without ever running into them, could you?" She smiled at him coyly. "Sometimes the first step is difficult, but that doesn't mean it's not a necessary one."

Zero stared at her for several seconds… and then burst into a hearty laugh, quite possibly the heartiest Kagome had ever heard. "You learn fast!" he remarked, in this new jolly tone. "And already you're turning my lessons right back against me. You're a frightening girl, you know that?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she inquired.

"It's a compliment," Zero's response. "You've impressed me, Kagome. I never imagined there might come a time where you would teach _me_ something… and I certainly never expected it so soon. You're quite the remarkable student."

Kagome blushed a little. "Oh, stop." This was followed by a brief silence between them, ultimately broken by Zero.

"You've taken it upon yourself to accept shrine duties today, haven't you?" he began. "Another impressive decision." He walked across the room and faced her. "I'll be watching over you closely. If there's ever anything you need, just let me know."

And with that, Zero vanished, leaving her alone in her bedroom. "Is it just me, or is he starting to sound a little less stuffy?" she thought to herself. In any case, she had to get ready for the day. Though… truthfully, that didn't really entail much, did it? She was already as dressed as she needed to be. She reflected once again on that thought… today, she would be standing in front of the shrine, right atop the steps overlooking the street below for everyone to see. There would be people coming and going throughout the day… every one of them would see her. Her breasts, her butt… even her special parts. All of it. As this thought occurred to her, she noticed something peculiar. Running her hand gently between her legs… she realized she was a little bit wet. Were thoughts like these really starting to excite her? She hoped this wouldn't be a problem as she stood in front of the shrine later; that would be embarrassing. She also felt a little bit prickly, and decided to take some time to touch up on her shave, given that she was going to be on such prominent display.

Some time later, Kagome stood in the house's entry way. She took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally before the inevitable next step. Once she felt ready, she opened the front door and stepped outside, then made her way around to the front of the shrine, where her grandfather was occupied sweeping.

"Oh? Kagome, you came after all," he commented. "I'm sorry to say it's been a very quiet day today. Only one or two visitors since breakfast."

Kagome couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed by this news. Here she had spent all this time gathering her courage, only to find that it might not have been necessary at all… but should she really be disappointed by such a thing? One would almost think she wanted to be seen by strangers. …did she? She did feel a sense of relief at her grandfather's revelation, but the fact that she had felt anything but relief was what made her wonder. It seemed like Kagome was learning some very surprising things about herself ever since becoming Zero's disciple.

"I'm glad to hear that. I think so, too."

Again, Zero's voice echoed in Kagome's mind. Had he been eavesdropping on her thoughts?

"I told you, I would be with you today in case you found need of me."

His voice replied to each of her thoughts in sequence, all within the confines of her mind. At the very least, it seemed like a rather convenient method of communication. Her first thought was to ask him his whereabouts, but before she could finish it, she noticed someone approaching the shrine from below. Wanting to make the best first impression she could in her present state, she hurried up to the shrine landing and stood dutifully, her grandfather setting his broom aside to greet their guest. He was a businessman, old enough to be Kagome's father, and reacted in obvious shock upon seeing her standing there, exposed on the shrine platform. She bowed respectfully, but all he could do was stare as Grandfather informed him of his granddaughter's proud role as a servant of the gods. Perhaps the two of them hadn't thought this through as thoroughly as they had imagined. Kagome felt a bit worried about the shrine's reputation, if people didn't believe their claims… maybe she shouldn't be out here after all.

"Rest assured, all will be taken care of."

Zero's voice put her at ease. Despite the businessman's discomfort, he politely made an offering before leaving the shrine. As he passed under the archway atop the stairs leading down to the road below, his phone began to ring, and he shuffled around in his pocket, pulling it out as be began descending. Kagome and her grandfather couldn't hear his conversation from that distance (not that they would intentionally listen in, if they could), but he appeared to be very surprised at what whoever had called him had told him. After a moment, he ended the call, glanced back towards the shrine, awestruck, and immediately started back towards the two of them.

"What did you…?" Kagome thought, hoping that Zero would pick up that it was directed at him.

"Nothing does better for a shrine's business than a little bit of good luck."

Kagome stood properly (or as proper as she could be in her state) as the man asked Grandfather for a good luck charm, and doubled his offering. Gramps was more than pleased to accommodate, and gave him one of the shrine's trinkets. The man thanked the two of them sincerely and almost skipped away, he was in such good spirits. While happy at this turn of events, Kagome's grandfather was very curious.

"What do you suppose that was about?" he asked.

"That man had been trying for some time to get the attention of his boss at the office." Kagome heard Zero's voice again and assumed it to be in her head; she nearly had a heart attack when she turned and saw him standing right behind her. Her grandfather fared no better, upon noticing him. "All it took was a little push from me," he finished.

"Oh! Zero! So happy you would take the time to join us!" Grandfather exclaimed.

"Wear a bell next time, okay?" said Kagome, in jest.

She turned back towards the shrine entrance as her grandfather greedily contemplated all the business they would surely get once that man told his friends and family about how effective this shrine's charms were. A minute or two passed, and the next time Kagome glanced behind her, Zero was once again gone. She supposed it was for the best, as it was queer-looking enough having one naked person standing up there. After a few minutes without another patron, the two of them resumed working, Grandfather sweeping the yard and Kagome dusting the platform. There really wasn't much else to do during the day. Fortunately, Kagome had her grandfather and Zero to pass the time discussing with. There wasn't a whole lot to talk about between her and her grandfather that didn't ultimately come back around to him kissing Zero's feet, so she instead spent most of the discussion in her head, with Zero himself. She had been meaning to learn more about him, anyway.

The two discussed much, and Kagome found to her surprise that his experience and mannerisms were surprisingly human. Not the kind of human who hangs out at WacDonald's or goes to karaoke with friends, but he spoke of life and of living, of former friends and enemies (most of the latter other gods), and a little bit about the nature of his powers. This interested her greatly; she didn't feel like she had much to tell him about herself, in turn, but he listened with great interest as she shared her thoughts and feelings, stories about her and her friends, and her still-developing dreams for the future. This continued throughout the day as one or two other patrons came to the shrine. The first had a similar experience to the businessman, while the second, a middle-aged women, immediately attacked Kagome's grandfather for "putting his granddaughter on display in order to get more business," aggressing that both of them should be ashamed. She left the shrine without making a donation, and left Kagome feeling a little bit forlorn.

"There will always be closed-minded people," Zero assured her. As he said this, the woman's heel broke, causing her to topple over… not seriously, mind you, but a sign of bad luck nonetheless. Kagome stifled a laugh, it obviously being Zero's handiwork. "Humans revere the gods and their creations," he began, "including the creation of man itself. And yet, there are those who shun and persecute this creation in its purest form. They find fault in our work, clothing it and hiding it from others, blind to its beauty. Such loathsome, hypocritical people." Kagome pondered this a bit, suddenly gaining a slightly greater understanding of her purpose in Zero's teachings, and appreciating his position just a little more. The woman's words had lost their impact upon her, and Kagome didn't feel quite so shameful.

This was fortunate for her, as not long after the unpleasant experience with this woman, the shrine began to swarm with patrons—visitors of all ages and backgrounds, but a good chunk of them, Kagome noticed, were young men. Many of the patrons were eager for the blessings they had heard about from that fortunate businessman, but even more were curious about the nude shrine maiden they had heard about. Boys came up eagerly to look at her, offering as much as they could spare; girls showed up out of curiosity, simply to confirm whether or not the rumors were true. Kagome couldn't help but blush and feel embarrassment when she started to see even members of her own class arriving just to look at her. There was nothing left to hide anymore. She practiced her craft as a shrine maiden dutifully, no different than she would have had she been clothed, and responded to the constant, inevitable question of her attire with a brief explanation of her role with Zero. Eventually it was shortened to simply "It's a ritual for the gods," which, albeit strange, people seemed to buy. Most of them at this point didn't mind her being naked anyhow—it was exactly what they came to see.

Kagome couldn't believe such a crowd had gathered; business for the shrine had never been better. All of these people had come to see her. All of them WANTED to see her. She wondered how many of the boys were trying to take mental pictures of her; she wondered how many would later go home and masturbate to the thought of her. Maybe there were even some girls visiting the shrine who were interested in her that way. In a few instances, people started pulling out cell phones and snapping pictures of her standing on the shrine platform. This was still too much for her, and her grandfather had to step in and ask that pictures not be taken. After the issue had come up twice, a sign had to be put up, which seemed to end it, for the most part. Kagome was sure people in the crowd were still sneaking some discreetly, and blushed at the idea that there would be a permanent record of this day.

She couldn't help but allow her mind to wander these thoughts; they had invaded her mind, and there was just no getting rid of them. This crowd of strangers had come to see her naked, and here she was, obliging in full, even standing on a stage above them, providing them a full view of everything. She hoped her nipples, erect partly due to the winter chill having not yet entirely made its departure yet and partly due to the attention she was receiving, weren't too obvious… her vagina could be clearly seen in its entirety from below, however. She kept her legs closed in an attempt to stand properly, but the small opening was still very visible running between them. She knew that everyone present had their eyes fixed on it… some more hungrily than others. Ten people, twenty people… she tried to count the number of patrons she was standing naked in front of, but couldn't keep her thoughts in order long enough. She began to feel almost dizzy.

At that moment, she sensed something she had been fearing… there was something trickling down her inner thigh. It took her a moment to process this feeling, but she didn't have to think long before realizing what it was. Immediately turning to a full red, she excused herself in a hasty stammer and tried to walk as quickly as possible towards the house. The crowd was obviously very disappointed by her departure, but Grandpa Higurashi continued his pitch, assuring them that their charms still worked and distracting the crowd. Kagome hurried up to her room, the clear droplet running down her leg and almost having reached her ankle. She went into her room and immediately got in front of the mirror.

She was absolutely glistening. It was no wonder they had been staring; she was completely mortified. It was bad enough that everyone had seen her expose herself like that as a "ritual for the gods," but now they knew that she had been enjoying it. All those rumors about her being a pervert, or a masochist… this would confirm them. Even her classmates had been there, staring at her. Kagome felt like crying again. In fact, she had almost started to, when behind her came a familiar voice.

"It's all right, you know. Only one person noticed," said Zero, "and she's too shy to talk about it. She's worried that if she tells anyone, they'll find out she was at the shrine, and label her a pervert for coming to see you."

Kagome sniffed. "Really…?"

"Really," he assured. His telepathy proved very useful at times. "But… what if others had seen?"

"W…what?"

"Would that really be the end of the world?" he asked.

What was he talking about? Of course it would. Her life would be over. She would be labeled a pervert forever; everyone would make fun of her, she wouldn't be accepted anywhere.

"You know, it's a lot more obvious when a man becomes aroused," he argued flatly. Kagome looked down.

"I… can see that," she remarked, not quite sure how to continue. Clearly he was referring to his own state. She blushed again, it being the first time she had seen one standing up.

"That said, there's not a whole lot that can be done to help it. You didn't even notice yours until it was already happening," he stated, looking at her, in turn. Suddenly realizing her posture, Kagome quickly closed her legs, shyly.

"If a man blames another for an act he himself is guilty of, well, that's simple hypocrisy. And what value are the opinions of such men?"

Kagome wasn't sure she quite understood what he was getting at, but somehow felt at least a little bit better. The general idea he was trying to get across, she thought, is that she shouldn't care about what other people think if those people are blaming her for something that they would be doing in the same situation.

Zero smiled. "You forget, I'm a telepath." Kagome reacted in surprise, having completely forgotten this fact. "You know exactly what it is I'm saying. I'm glad."

The discussion was important, to be sure, but Kagome couldn't help but be distracted. Her eyes were fixated on that one critical area on Zero… she was curious, not necessarily because it was his, but simply because she had never seen one at eye level, much less one that was at full mast. Zero picked up on her obvious interest.

"Curious?" he asked.

"N…no!" she replied without really thinking. She didn't exactly have anything to hide from him (quite literally), but it was just a programmed response to such an intimate question.

"You can't hide your thoughts from me," he told her snidely. Seeing an opening, she replied just as snidely, first looking him in the eye, then motioning towards his loin.

"Neither can you."

Again, a hearty laugh from Zero. It wasn't unwelcome, but it certainly made him seem older than he looked. How old was he, she wondered? Kagome almost completely forgot about why she had come up here, her spirits once again lifted. She thought back to all the things that the two of them had discussed earlier in the day. She couldn't remember how the topic had come up, but at one point she had learned that, apparently, gods were infertile, and also immune to human disease. She wondered… what had been running though Zero's mind when he informed her of these two facts? She thought that, perhaps, she was about to find out.

"You know…" he began, "there was another reason I chose you, out of all the people of Japan, Kagome." She listened intently. "I thought this about you long ago, and you've since proven it to be the absolute truth on several occasions… You're a very smart girl. Strong-willed, self-driven… and whether or not you think much of it, very beautiful." Kagome had a feeling she knew where this was going. No one had ever flattered her the way he was… and a god, no less. How had she ever gotten his attention? Kagome could only turn red, unsure of how else to respond to his compliments. Zero sat down, meeting her eye level. There was a long pause between them as they looked with anticipation at one another.

"I've thought about this for some time, and… I won't force you to do anything, should you decline, but I think this might be beneficial for your train-"

She cut him off, placing her finger over his lips with a gentle smile. "It's all right."

These three words were all it took, as the two of them slowly moved into a gentle, but passionate kiss… first, tender, then shifting into something a bit more serious, at Zero's inclination. He moved his lips expertly, as Kagome tried to follow with her own. This was actually her first, and she couldn't help but think about how it might soon be followed by another first. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice her inexperience… but knowing Zero, she expected him to have already known. After a moment, the two parted; Kagome was left a bit lightheaded from this new experience that was so very foreign to her, and almost didn't make out Zero's next question in her delirium.

"Would you like to start, or shall I?"

Kagome tried to come to her senses, and managed to pull back shyly as her only response. She was very curious about her partner, but… she just didn't feel like she had the experience, and was worried she might embarrass herself if she tried to take the lead. Zero understood completely after but a single glance at her troubled face, and responded by taking her cheek in hand. His palm was warm, and once again, he smiled gently at her and told her to relax. Kagome felt reassured, if only a little bit. With that, Zero's hand fell from her face, sliding smoothly down her neck, then off her shoulder and down to her side. The motion sent an electric charge down her spine… she still wasn't used to being touched by anyone in this way. Fortunately, it looked like he was going to take things nice and slow with her.

She felt his other hand make contact in a new location: Her right breast. She let out an involuntary noise at this unexpected sensation, as his hand moved ever so slowly, exploring her modest figure. Each finger seemed to caress her independently, moving as if under its own will with only the lightest of pressure. It was a soothing motion, not forceful or vigorous at all, as she had so imagined men being after all of those "romance" scenes she had seen in old Japanese movies… she couldn't help but feel a little bit bad about making such assumptions about the opposite sex. Zero's gentle, massaging motions continued across Kagome's entire body, giving her goosebumps as he craned his neck around hers in a semi-hugging position. If it weren't for this, she would have at this point lost the will to maintain her seated posture and fallen into a laid-back position. As if reading her mind (or perhaps doing exactly that), a hand moved to Kagome's back and gently motioned her down onto it.

Kagome now lay on her back, fully exposed to her partner, who couldn't help but take a moment to taste one of her supple, waiting breasts; Kagome giggled a bit, partly due to the tickling sensation this caused and partly due to the sight of an all-powerful god suckling upon her like a child. Seems he had human urges, as well. Still, it was not at all an unpleasant feeling, and she was able to lay back and enjoy it quite comfortably in this position. He made the effort to massage her free breast while occupying himself with the first. After a very tranquil moment or two for both of them, Zero finally let up, slowing his motions to a halt in order to get Kagome's attention. There was only one place left for him to move to.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"You know I am…" she commented, shyly. There was really no point in him asking her things he knew. In response, Zero placed his hand down just over her opening. Kagome instinctively tensed up upon contact between her skin and his. Zero was not terribly surprised by this reaction; it was only to be expected, her first time.

"You know…" he began, "the only way to really enjoy this is to abandon any doubts you still have, and to give yourself up completely." He looked at her, his expression somewhere between romantic and inquisitive. Finally, he asked her: "Do you trust me, Kagome?"

Seeing that it was very much a serious question on his part, Kagome had to take a moment to fully appreciate the implications, and decide within herself whether it was truly so or not. The whole process took only seconds. "I… do."

"Then… relax your body, and allow yourself to feel without thinking," he told her. Such hypnotic advice… it was tantalizing, in a way. The idea of letting go all thoughts and focusing only on the sensations of the body… it sounded like a form of meditation. Perhaps, in a way, this is what he saw this as? Maybe this really was just another lesson to him. No… he definitely saw it as more than that, just as she did. Still, his words tempted her to follow, and Kagome found herself inclined to obey them, as she closed her eyes and placed all focus on what she was feeling within and without her body. It was almost as if she were going to sleep, but so much deeper than that. She could feel her own heartbeat, now growing calmer and fainter. She could feel the electricity moving through her nervous system, transmitting all the sensations of her body from the temperature of the room to Zero's skin against hers. She could even feel things she didn't know were possible to be felt, such as the motions of her stomach inside her abdomen. Kagome had never felt more aware of her physical self than she did in this very moment.

Then, like lightning, a feeling of intense pleasure shot through her. It was easily three times anything she had ever felt stimulating herself… and all it had been was Zero's finger lightly grazing her entrance. He'd not even begun yet. This trance-like state he had shared with her was beyond compare, and it only grew more powerful from there. His digits passed over her ever-more-glistening entrance repeatedly, each motion sending a pulse through Kagome's spine as the movements became less and less shallow. After several such passes, they were approaching penetration, sliding in as they approached the small opening of her vagina and rolling out again as they moved away. Despite the intensely amplified sensations Kagome was feeling, climax approached only somewhat more quickly than usual… but just before this point was reached, the sensations stopped. She could feel Zero shifting in some way, but was unable to tell exactly how with her eyes closed. The unfortunate timing of this change in pattern (understandably) frustrated her, though.

After a few seconds, she felt something larger than a hand between her legs, and a new sensation hit her, this one even more intense than those previous. She couldn't contain herself, moaning ever so quietly as this new stimulation quickly made up for the brief but irritating gap between it and the last. In seconds, she recognized it as Zero's tongue, moving as expertly as it had during their kiss earlier, if not even more so. "Nnnh…" Definitely moreso. There was no way that Kagome would be able to endure this for more than another minute. More than another few…

"A…ahhh!" She reached her climax ceremoniously, afterwards opening her eyes and coming to her senses again. She looked down at Zero, his face still positioned squarely between her legs, now something of a mess. Kagome felt that she should apologize, but Zero stopped her, telling her simply that he was glad she enjoyed it. How true that was—Kagome felt quite certain that no experience would ever live up to the standard set by what she had just felt. She was now more certain than ever that she would just make a fool of herself, trying to do the same to Zero. But, he reassured her.

"I'll tell you a secret," he said. Kagome's ears perked, curiously. "The truth is… as a god, I have no sensation down there. Just as I am immune to pain, so too have I lost the sensation of pleasure."

"What? That's awful," said Kagome, pitifully. She felt even sorrier for him, and all that he was missing out on, after the kind of pleasure she had just experienced. "But…" She was still left a little confused. If he really couldn't feel anything at all, why was he so eager to become involved with her? How did he have any sexual drive?

Zero smiled, fully aware of what was running through her curious mind. "You know, though, it doesn't bother me," he began. "I mean it when I say that I could know no greater pleasure…" He gazed at her, affectionately. "…than seeing you as blissfully content as you were just now."

Kagome almost teared a little. No one could be so selfless and sweet. No mortal, anyway… for the first time, she felt truly blessed for their chance encounter that short time ago.

"Go ahead. I know you're still curious," he stated. It was true; she had still been eyeing his groin from time to time between sentences.

She was unsure of herself, but upon his insistence, Kagome grasped his firm member in her hand. It was much warmer than she had expected it to be—even warmer than the rest of his body. The tip was smooth, and the rest of it… squishy, in a peculiar sort of way. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, and so, she of course spent a great deal of time familiarizing herself with its shape and texture. Kagome felt a little bit perverted, doting on it as much as she was, but surely any of her friends placed in this situation would do the same. This was something entirely new to her, so she understandably wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as she possibly could.

She flicked it, pulled it, rubbed it, stroked it, even twisted it a little bit; all the while, Zero obliged more than happily, amused to see her so intrigued by a simple organ. She was as a child introduced to a new toy for the very first time, but that was all right—he felt that this toy was, in a natural sense, a very educational one. Once Kagome had had her fun playing with the item (and all those surrounding it) with her hands, she began to get a bit more daring, poking and even licking the (clean, she noted) member. Finally taking the entire head in her mouth, she experimented as best she could, feeling about the shape with her tongue. Though not affected by physical stimulation, Zero couldn't help but feel a sense of arousal at how comfortable Kagome was getting with this action, and her willingness to perform it for him… though, in truth, she wasn't so much acting for his benefit as she was satiating her own curiosity.

She swirled her tongue around it, tried to see how much she could fit in at one time, experimented in every way she could think of… eventually, though, Kagome grew tired of the activity; it wasn't as much fun as she had anticipated, once she knew that Zero wouldn't feel any of her endeavors. It kind of seemed like it made the whole thing rather pointless. Still, she learned quite a bit during her excursion, and was grateful for the opportunity from Zero, who was himself quite satisfied by the experience the two of them had shared. Kagome wasn't quite sure if she felt the same.

"So…" she started, hesitantly, her voice obviously very nervous. "Are we… going to go all the way?"

Zero looked at her, fully expecting this question. "That's up to you. I'm satisfied one way or the other," he replied honestly. This answer disappointed Kagome a little, as she interpreted as a gesture of politeness; he didn't really want to continue with her at all, she thought. Zero realized she hadn't yet gotten used to his ever honest, straightforward nature. What did this say about humans, he wondered, if one living among them had to contemplate whether or not such a straight, wholly honest statement was in fact the truth or a lie? One day humans would learn the value of open, honest expression… hopefully. "What do YOU want, Kagome?" He asked her outright.

"Don't…don't make me say that," she said, shyly. It was plain to see that she was still curious, and wanted to continue. Now that she had given him that answer, though, Zero couldn't help but have a little fun with her.

"Say what?"

"You know what."

"I haven't any idea." He was obviously jesting with her, much to Kagome's annoyance. Still, the curiosity stirring in her loins was unrelenting. She'd come this far; she really wanted to know what it would feel like, that forbidden final frontier. She wanted to know it badly.

"I… want you to…" she hesitated again, blushing. This couldn't be that bad, compared to everything else she had endured over the past two weeks. "P…put it in," she finished. Zero was amused by her blunt, almost awkward phrasing, but then, there was really no eloquent way to ask what she was asking for. Obliging, he leaned over to her, now both sitting up, and kissed her once again—not as deeply this time, but as a simple show of affection.

"As you wish."

He reached down to her opening once again—still soaked through, thanks to her recent climax. As he gradually slipped one finger inside, Kagome winced. Feeling around exploratively, trying to ascertain the size of her (though he didn't make this obvious to Kagome), he managed to squeeze a second finger in after some effort, giving rise to a small moan. Kagome was clearly uncomfortable, but that would likely clear up once she had gotten used to the real thing. He spread his fingers only slightly, seeing how far they would go… even with his great strength, they wouldn't spread far. Truly, a woman's abdominal strength was to be feared. Kagome bit her lip; at this point, it was starting to get painful, and she asked him to stop teasing her. This was not at all his intention, but he knew that it was uncomfortable for her, and the easiest way to get around this would be to give her what she had been waiting for.

After some careful positioning, he managed to neatly press his tip into place at her entrance. Asking one final time if she was ready, Zero received a cautious nod in response. He pushed, only gently, until the head was fully inserted. Kagome's voice was no longer quiet, as she endured the unexpected discomfort of this act in tumultuous cries; Zero paused to give her a moment to recover. He had all the patience in the world for her. After about 20 seconds of panting and clutching at her partner's body, Kagome felt ready to continue, and with that, Zero moved deeper into her, first slowly, then speeding up after the first split second without a reaction… to the base. At last, they were fully connected. He paused once again, giving her a moment to adapt to the new sensation, but this one lasted not nearly as long as the first, as Kagome quickly insisted that they continue.

Compared to what they'd previously done, the act was largely mechanical, as Zero tried to motion himself in order to give his partner the most pleasure possible. It was much more difficult than it was with his mouth, which he had full control over… but Kagome was too enraptured by the experience to pay much mind to how he was doing it. This was entirely new to her—a very different feeling from the relaxing, meditative climax she had reached earlier. This was forceful, vigorous, animalistic, just as she had expected the experience to be. She wasn't entirely sure which of the two feelings she preferred, but now wasn't exactly the time to compare and contrast; she could feel him moving in and out of her, filling her up completely in a seemingly new way with each motion.

Upon reaching her limit once, the two stopped to rest; it was an interesting, numbing sensation, lying motionless with someone else still inside her. Not that it wasn't a warm and welcome one. After a brief reprieve, the two continued until her second orgasm, at which point she felt drained of all energy, and Zero, understanding without a word, withdrew from her. As she lay, panting, unable to move any part of her body, he placed himself parallel to her, his arm across her breast and his eyes closed in reverie. At this contact, Kagome noticed his posture and glanced down at him. Here was this all-powerful superbeing, lying atop her like a sleeping child with his mother. How such a powerful, almost hulking form could appear so innocent and vulnerable was in itself a beautiful thing… and, thinking about it, perhaps his ideologies were, in a way, childlike. He always stated exactly what he meant, exactly how he meant it, and was disappointed when others did not do the same. But maybe that wasn't so bad, she thought. Maybe the world might be a better place with more people like him in it.

"You know, I can read your thoughts," he told her, still fully awake despite his appearance.

Kagome giggled. "I wasn't hiding them."


	6. Chapter 5

Here it was. The day had finally come. Today, Kagome would attend classes completely naked. Yesterday, she had felt so confident, so determined to go through with this… now that the morning was finally here, however, she had begun to have second thoughts. Shaking such doubts from her mind, she hurried downstairs to the breakfast table, having slept in a bit later than normal. She ate quietly, not mentioning her intentions to her family. She didn't want them to tell her it might be a bad idea—it might cost her what little resolve she had left. Then again, it didn't really matter how resolute she was if Zero hadn't provided clothing for her out front… in which case, she would have to go as she was whether she had the confidence for it or not. Better to maintain her resolve than to lose it, if it was happening one way or the other.

As expected, when Kagome did step outside, she saw no bag waiting for her in front of the old well. In a way, this made her feel a little better. The choice had been made for her, so it wasn't quite as difficult. But still… this would be the first time she would be outside of the shrine area, exposed for all to see. She would even have to walk through town in this state. She swallowed nervously, and hoped desperately that she would not be faced with the same problem she had experienced up on the shrine landing the previous day. But… in any case, she was committed at this point. There was only one direction to move: forward. And so, with trembling steps, she started down the stairs to the road. The public road.

Fortunately, there weren't too many other pedestrians in this part of town this early, but there was no shortage of vehicles, most of them probably bustling off to work. Vehicles were preferred to pedestrians, as they wouldn't get quite as clear or as close a view of her, and would be less likely to stop and report anything. Wearing absolutely nothing but her backpack, Kagome feared the very real possibility that someone may call the police on her… and what then? Surely Zero would come to her rescue… right? The doubt lingering in her mind that, just this once, maybe he would leave her… it terrified her, but at the same time, that element of danger made what she was doing just a little more exciting. Hopefully not too exciting, though. She brushed her hand nonchalantly between her legs. Still dry.

As tumultuous an experience as being naked in front of a whole city's worth of people was, walking barefoot through town took some getting used to, too. Thus far, she had only done it on the shrine, which was very natural and well-kept. The hard pavement was something she had yet to adapt to, and Kagome had to be mindful of where she stepped to avoid the occasional litter that had been unceremoniously dropped below. Thankfully, she encountered no broken glass or other dangerous material. In this way, at the very least, it was better for her to take the public paths that were well-traveled, and thus, well-kept. This would be difficult on some chewed-up back road, even if there was no one to see her.

Obviously, Kagome attracted a great deal of attention from the handful of pedestrians she did pass by; one even stopped and asked her outright what she was doing, to which Kagome again stuck with her tried and true response that she was a priestess performing a ritual for the gods. Not entirely untrue; and thankfully, the man seemed to buy it, as he had himself heard of what transpired at the shrine the previous day.

"This world… what a crazy place."

She heard the man muttering to himself as he walked off with his hat and briefcase. Probably a salaryman, she thought. She wondered how meeting her would impact his day. Maybe it would even make it a little better, she hoped to herself. So many people had come to the shrine yesterday just to see her… maybe they wouldn't mind seeing her on the street. Maybe things would turn out okay. It wasn't long after this point that Kagome met up with her friends at the usual halfway point. They were, of course, extremely surprised to see her.

"Kagome, are you insane?" Yuka accused.

"I know it's something you have to do around the house, but… there are people here! What if a policeman sees you?" asked Ayumi.

"Eheheh… it's a long story," Kagome began, a little shyly. "The short of it is… well, uh…"

"Zero?" inquired Eri, curiously.

"Y…yeah," Kagome's quick response.

The three girls glared at her, obviously disapproving. They felt certain now that he was taking advantage of Kagome, and had already begun thinking of what they could do to stop it… but Kagome quickly reassured them that it wasn't an issue, and that she had decided for herself to do this today. This much was true in that she had at least made that decision at one point, right? Their doubts remained. Surely she was just covering for Zero. But… why would she even do that? Had something happened between them?

Kagome wasted no time in explaining to them the full story of the situation, as all four walked and talked their way to the school. She told them about her realization on Saturday, how she had chosen her dress (or lack thereof) herself, and about what she had done working at the shrine the previous day. She even touched on her activities with Zero afterwards… very briefly. She didn't want her friends to know the whole of the situation between them just yet. The three girls listened in surprised revelation to Kagome's unexpected words… and even at the end of it all, couldn't bring themselves to completely agree with her decision.

"Look…" she finally said, pulling out her trump card. "It would have come to this eventually, right? Better that I do it on my own terms." She laughed insincerely, again trying to make light of the situation in front of her friends. The three girls were still not convinced, but they were quickly approaching the school gates. Already, they had passed by several of their (very confused) classmates. There was no turning back now, and whatever may come, they were determined to support Kagome the whole way. The four of them stepped through the gate together, attracting the attention of everyone in the yard as they did so. Immediately, a small crowd rushed up to the four of them—but mostly Kagome—asking what she was doing in such a state. Others remained in place, glancing Kagome's way and continuing their conversations with friends.

"I guess the stories about what happened at the shrine are true."

Condescending words like that did not make Kagome happy. True, Zero had told her to dismiss such opinions, but it was hard without him there to reassure her. Thankfully, she had her friends there, and while they didn't go so far as to confront such nay-sayers directly, they did group around her and offer support, escorting her to the building with at least a little bit of cover. The inside of the school was no better. Kagome didn't even need to stop and open her locker, instead having to wait for her friends to get their things before continuing, being bombarded by questions from other students as she sat.

"Are you crazy, Kagome?" one asked.

"You realize you're completely naked… at school, right?" asked another.

"Do your friends know about this?"

"What about your parents?"

"Are you some kind of exhibitionist?"

Kagome hesitated, overwhelmed by all the attention. Pausing to collect herself, she began.

"Uhhh… no, yes, yes, no, and, uh… maybe?"

Her three friends returned to her in time to help dispel the crowd and walk Kagome to their classroom, somewhat awkwardly passing through the halls in their four-girl formation.

"You know, you really don't have to do this," Kagome assured them. "I came to school today ready for this."

"Don't worry, Kagome, we're here to help," Ayumi assured.

"You'd do the same for us, right?" said Yuka.

"Y…yeah." Kagome couldn't help but feel a little touched by the sentiment. This moment of reverie was quickly broken when they arrived at the door to the classroom and bumped into a classmate… Hojo, of all people. He was considered to be one of the most eligible bachelors in the school, and all three of Kagome's friends had a less-than-secret crush on him. It had been obvious for some time where his affections lay, though.

"Ka…Kagome? Kagome…!" He reacted first with uncertainty, then with complete shock upon seeing her standing there, naked. He immediately turned as red as a pickled plum. "I… you… I mean, how…"

Words failed him, the shock was simply too great. The three girls were about to speak up for Kagome, but she herself beat them to the punch.

"Hi, Hojo. Nice weather today," she commented dryly, as nonchalant as she would on any other day, walking by him into the classroom without a second thought. He and her three friends were left standing in the doorway, stunned with her brazen casualness. Kagome giggled to herself a little bit. Maybe Zero's jovial nature was rubbing off on her. She sat down at her regular desk as Hojo came running up to her.

"Ka-Kagome! What's going on? Did something happen to your clothes? I can lend you one of my outfits, if you need one!" He spoke in short, hurried sentences, trying to suppress his own surprise and confusion and retain his cheery, polite disposition, with mixed results.

"That's okay, Hojo. I'm perfectly comfortable," she tried to assure him.

"B-but… you have to cover up, Kagome! What if the teacher sees you?"

Now he was getting a little bit obnoxious… not to mention kind of silly. He had confronted her in a similar way on Saturday. He knew what she had been wearing, and that the teacher (and everyone else, for that matter) had already seen just about everything she had to show them.

"I'm telling you, it's fine," she said, with only a slight hint of cross. "Let's just both enjoy class together, all right?"

Hojo was dumbfounded, having no idea how to respond to her calm, indifferent attitude towards such an embarrassing situation. Maybe she wasn't the girl he had thought she was… although, maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Without any further arguments to make, Hojo quietly retreated to his desk to reflect on the situation, and the five of them waited for the start of class. They were still a few minutes early, and only about half the class was in the room at the time. A few tried to interrogate Kagome for answers, but she responded to all of them by saying that she would reveal everything in time.

"I don't think there's much she has left to reveal," Yuka whispered to her two friends. Kagome overheard the remark, but didn't mind the amusing comment. It was just Yuka being Yuka. And besides, it was hardly an inaccurate observation.

The rest of the class flooded into the room, paying Kagome some very curious glances on their way in, and the teacher followed not long after. His eyes were glued to the floor, averted from the sight of Kagome. As usual, the class president called for a respectful greeting—though some male students skimped on their bow in order to watch Kagome perform hers, breasts hanging freely as she leaned forwards. Even after everyone had taken their seat, the professor's eyes remained downcast. He spoke in a nervous stammer.

"C-class… if you'll turn your attention to Kagome, I… believe she has an… announcement to make…"

It was clear that he was in turmoil, debating his own actions in his mind; all eyes turned to Kagome (or at least, those that hadn't already been glued to her), and she realized that Zero must have arranged this situation. The teacher seemed absolutely terrified, though. What kind of introduction had Zero had with the poor man? Perhaps he had had the misfortune of being approached by him in a nightmare. …but now wasn't the time to think about that. Standing up, Kagome took a breath in preparation for the short speech she had been mentally preparing for most of the morning.

"Some of you… may have heard about what happened at our shrine yesterday, and… well…" Her speech wasn't much calmer than the teacher's. But then, she felt like she had much more reason to be nervous than he did. "Long story short, as a shrine maiden, I've become the disciple of a god. His name is Zero, and… man, this is embarrassing… I've been undergoing his training for a couple weeks now, and… um…" The next part was the hardest. Once the words left her mouth, they would become a commitment. Not that she wasn't already very much committed by now, anyway. "I'll… from today on, I'll be attending classes like this." She blushed at what she had just said, as her classmates stared, jaws agape.

"I just… um… wanted to let you all know, so that you… wouldn't get the wrong idea." She finished her speech nervously, not a sound to be heard, then sat down, hoping that everyone's attention would be lost somehow by this action. Silence reigned. After several seconds, the murmuring began—gossip, mostly doubt, mockery of Kagome's absurd claims. Kagome started to feel defeated, but then, an arrow in the darkness:

"It's true," asserted Yuka, bravely.

"Yeah, we all met Zero ourselves," added Ayumi.

"He's really a god, too!" Eri noted.

Kagome felt a little better with the support of her friends, but it wasn't enough to dispel all doubt.

"Well, of course you three would defend her."

"Yeah, you'd say anything if you thought it would help your pervert friend."

"That's enough!" shouted Hojo. Kagome looked at him, surprised to see him standing up for her, especially after the way she had brushed him off earlier. "If Kagome says something is so, then I believe her." He was really sticking his neck out.

Another brief pause… and this time, it was none other than the teacher who broke the silence, still stammering nervously.

"Y-yes, that's right… Z-Zero… is real," he said flatly. "I have… met him, as well."

The entire class stared; some at Kagome, others at Hojo, still more at their teacher, amazed that such a normally conservative man would make such outrageous claims. But then, if even he placed his faith in this matter… maybe it had some merit, after all? The class started whispering and gossiping amongst themselves, this time pondering the possibility that this person "Zero"… might actually exist. Before the murmuring could get too loud, though, the instructor hastily changed the topic, forcing himself to raise his eyes and face the class, Kagome included. Seems he'd finally found his nerve.

"All right, then, that's enough of that. We still have work to do, class, no time to dilly-dally. I'll start with roll call."

The class quickly clammed up. Kagome was stunned that the whole situation had ended so quickly. Certainly, she would still have many questions to answer throughout the day, but how suddenly had everyone's minds opened to the possibility of a real deity. Was this Zero's power? Clearly, the students respected their teacher, but she knew that none of them respected him THAT much. Hopefully Zero had visited her other subject teachers just as he had this one. As for the students… well, word would no doubt spread rapidly among them. Soon everyone in the school would know about her situation.

What a funny thought. Yesterday, she had dreaded that very possibility. When she noticed her classmates visiting her at the shrine, the thought of the whole school hearing about her escapades had literally driven her to tears. Now, here she was, hoping and waiting impatiently for exactly that to happen, to save her the trouble of explaining herself at the start of every period. She couldn't help but giggle lightly to herself at the thought… and as she did so, another thought crossed her mind, and she once again felt discreetly between her legs. Dry. Maybe she was finally getting used to being like this, and wouldn't have to worry after all. She really needed to stop doubting that things would work out in the end, she thought.

And so, Kagome progressed through the day, and all of her classes, fully exposed in front of her classmates, her teachers… absolutely everyone. She did have to make her short speech again (this time a bit more confidently) at the start of her second period class, her first being with the same group as homeroom, but after that, word had spread to the entire grade about her unusual situation… possibly even the entire school. Lunch came, and she took the opportunity to eat outside with her friends; the warm sun felt absolutely glorious on her bare skin, glowing prominently in display, and the grass beneath her more comfortable and welcoming than it ever had before. Life truly was a brand new experience, unclothed, and her friends couldn't help but pick up on her cheery new disposition.

"Oh, yeah…" Kagome spoke between bites, smiling contently as she enjoyed the lovely weather, delicious food, and time with friends. "I don't know what I was ever worried about. I'm actually getting used to it pretty quickly. I never knew how much I was missing out on before."

The three girls looked at each other. What once had been glances of doubt and worry were now gazes of curiosity. They no longer felt concern for their friend as much as they did interest in her… she had never seemed happier. Was she for real? Was what she was describing really that great? Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi exchanged curious eyes… and, finally, after extended contemplation, Eri, in some subjects the least shy of the three, spoke up.

"Hey, Kagome… do you think… Zero would offer his blessing to others, if they asked?"

Kagome heard her question, but was too busy blissfully enjoying her surroundings to fully appreciate the implications. "I dunno. Ask him yourself. Hey, Zero!" she said, raising her voice just a little, as if calling for a friend across the yard. A second or two passed. Then, some sort of portal appeared on the ground behind Kagome, and like a spring released from tension, Zero popped out, landing on the ground below as the portal closed beneath him. He was quite the showman.

"So that's how he does it…" Yuka commented aloud. All three of the girls blushed once again, seeing a naked man up close and personal for only the second time in their young lives.

"Ladies. Glad to meet you all again," he remarked, suavely. Immediately following this, he flinched, somewhat less suavely, and looked up at the sun above him. "Little bit on the bright side today, isn't it?"

"Oh…" Kagome scolded, still chewing, "lighten up. Enjoy the weather while it lasts." She remembered yesterday Zero had mentioned not being a fan of bright, sunshiny weather. He could use a little more vitamin D, she thought. Reading this thought of hers, Zero glanced at her, less than amused, and stepped over to a slightly shadier spot. Kagome was too happily occupied with her lunch to notice.

"They're like an old married couple," Ayumi remarked, in amazement. Kagome acted so casually around him, like she didn't really revere him at all. Was it really okay to treat a god like that? They acted like equals.

"Mr. Zero…" Eri began, shyly.

"Zero is fine," he told her warmly. Eri blushed even deeper.

"Z…Zero, um…" she paused, unsure of how to continue her question. What was her question, anyway? There was something she had thought to ask him about, but now that he was here… did she really want to ask it? "You, um… I mean… Would you…" Zero waited patiently as she struggled to find the words. Yuka gently placed her hand on Eri's back to calm her, and Eri took a deep breath in preparation. This seemed to help. "If… someone else, someone other than Kagome, were to devote themselves to you, just hypothetically, then… would that person also receive your blessings, Mr.… I mean, Zero?"

Zero knew exactly what she had been wanting to ask, but waited to hear the question straight from her mouth. From the mouths of babes. Zero stifled a laugh at his own stupid joke, then formulated a concise response for the girl.

"Well…" he began, "if someone follows my teachings, and proves to me their willingness to do so, then will they be granted my divine providence."

"What do you mean, 'your teachings?'" Ayumi asked. Yuka was also curious, anxiously awaiting a response. Kagome grazed happily.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," he replied, coyly. It was true; they did know, but didn't necessarily want to admit it to themselves. Still, Eri's curiosity had been satiated. Zero prepared for his departure.

"Oh, you know… you're welcome to have lunch with us," proposed Eri, rather spontaneously. Zero hadn't even considered the possibility, being so attached to his theatrical exits.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly… I don't even have anything with me," he argued halfheartedly.

"Come on, join us," Kagome insisted pleasantly, still finishing her own lunch. Zero found himself unable to resist that contented smile of hers. Sighing in defeat, he plopped down on the grass beside them. Kagome's three friends were once again amazed at the control that Kagome seemed to hold over such a powerful being as Zero. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Lunch passed unceremoniously. The girls laughed and talked, involving Zero in the discussion where they could and asking he and Kagome questions about their relationship from time to time (the three of them never really changed). All five enjoyed themselves, as the girls began to appreciate Zero as a person more than as a divine figure, and gained a better understanding of the bond between himself and Kagome, his pupil. After lunch, Zero politely took his leave as the four girls returned to their classes.

The day pressed on, and soon enough it came time for gym. Kagome, of course, had little to do to prepare—for all practical purposes, she could have walked right in, through, and right back out of the locker room, though she thought it would be more fun to at least hang out until the other girls started to leave. Gym was one of only two periods she shared with all three of her friends (the other being homeroom/first period), and so naturally, she hovered around them as she waited for the period to start. The three began undressing, as they always did—off came the blouses, then the skirts, in preparation to change into their gym uniforms. However, Yuka paused. For a moment, she stood there, in only her underwear, debating in her mind what her next course of action should be… and finally, she decided. Reaching behind her back, she began to unhook her bra.

"Uhh… Yuka? What are you doing?" Ayumi asked, curiously. Without a word, Yuka removed the item and proceeded to do the same with her panties, leaving herself completely exposed. Kagome stood behind her in exactly the same state, curious; the other girls in the locker room were just confused. Yuka swallowed.

"I've decided…" her voice was uncharacteristically nervous. They had never heard Yuka sound so shaken, or seen her in such a full blush. "I'm… going to join Kagome." A couple of girls gasped quietly, trying to fully grasp what she was stating. "As a friend, it's my responsibility to support her, right?"

"Yuka, you don't have to…" Kagome started.

"No, my mind is made up," Yuka replied, with confidence.

"But… Yuka… are you sure?" Eri asked her friend. Yuka looked boldly at Eri.

"You've been thinking the same thing. When were you thinking about doing it?"

"Well… umm… I thought, you know, maybe I might try it tomorrow… I mean, today is just too sudden," Eri responded, a little embarrassed.

"…not me," Yuka's reply. "I think… no, if I waited until tomorrow, I know I would lose my nerve. This is something I have to do right here, right now." She would not be deterred.

Ayumi smiled, inspired by her friend's dedication. "I'm with you," she asserted, removing her own undergarments and placing them aside. The girls were starting to get quite a bit of attention.

"Well… I guess…" Eri looked straight down, blushing. "If… if both of you are doing it, then… I think… I'll have the courage to, too." She hesitantly removed her last articles of clothing, as well, joining her three friends.

"Girls…" Kagome was touched. This was just like what her family had done for her before, except… these three, her friends, were risking so much more. If their intention was to be naked for the rest of the day, then this was an enormous step for them. It had taken Kagome two weeks to muster up the courage to even attempt showing herself at school, and here they were making the jump in a matter of minutes. She couldn't help but admire her friends' determination and bravery.

Unfortunately for them, they weren't as well prepared as Kagome, and may have had some hedgetrimming they had been neglecting. In a way, this made their actions all the bolder. Kagome, herself inspired, reassured them:

"I'm sure he's watching over us… all of us."

These words gave them the final push of motivation they needed to take that first step out of the locker room and into the field outside. The sun blinded them for a moment, then shined its warmth upon them… this open, vulnerable feeling was something Kagome had known all too well, but it was still alien to her friends, who, now standing completely nude beside the field outside the school, each had to take a moment to confirm that they weren't just having a very odd dream. Was this really happening? Were they really doing this right now? It seemed so… surreal. It was almost overwhelming. This time, it would be Kagome providing them the much-needed encouragement. With a light touch on the shoulders of her three friends, she brought them somewhat out of their delirium and pushed them to start walking forward, almost entranced. The rest of the girls kept their distance, for the most part, walking to the usual gathering spot while trying to maintain a casual air.

When the instructor saw them, she wasn't quite taken aback, but she did have a few questions for the girls.

"You three! What are you doing?"

Kagome stepped up. "They're, uh… they're with me, ma'am."

The instructor sighed awkwardly. "Kagome… I was told in advance about your… situation, but… that's not an excuse for other students."

"We're… we're also disciples of Zero now, ma'am," Yuka said bravely. She didn't know if they were quite at the level of "disciples" yet, but hopefully it would satisfy the gym teacher.

"Discples? Wha…?" Now she was surprised. "Listen, I don't…" …but before she could finish her sentence, a voice echoed in her head.

"Allow it."

"…?" She stopped herself, not expecting to hear Zero again since his oracle the previous night.

"In fact, if any student decides to attend class nude from here on, make no comment. All of them have my blessing."

"That's insane," she thought to herself. There was no way she could follow along with such an outrageous request, no matter who it was coming from. She thought to outright refuse, but… before she could even complete her thought, the ground began to shake violently. "Everybody down!" she cried, as all the students ducked to the grass below; there was no cover anywhere nearby. After a brief moment, the shaking subsided, leaving the instructor, and her class, lying awkwardly on the ground.

"Any further questions?"

Zero's voice rang in her mind one last time, and the instructor knew she had no choice but to comply. Clearly, he was very powerful indeed.

"W…well then, let's… start with some stretches," she announced, hoping the conversation that had happened before the earthquake would be forgotten. Of course, the four naked girls remembered it clearly, but wanted to bring it up again no more than their teacher, now blushing and averting her eyes temporarily at the realization that these girls would be spending the entire class period as such. The class of girls began their usual routine, reaching for the sky (Yuka's breasts looked almost like trophies mounted on her body in this posture), then for the ground (poor Eri hadn't thought about the fact that everything below would be clearly visible while bending over when she agreed to join her friends), and eventually taking a few seconds to rest (the grass tickled Ayumi's opening as she sat down—this would take some getting used to). In stark contrast with her three nervous friends, Kagome just seemed to be enjoying the weather.

The class spent the rest of the period running today. This gave the boys, who were playing baseball nearby, plenty to distract them from their game, as they were able to see clearly the four girls' breasts bouncing and heaving with each lap around the field. Eri and Ayumi had never been a brighter shade of red—even Yuka, strong-willed as she was, felt a little overwhelmed and couldn't help but get a little bit flushed. It was embarrassing enough being naked at all, why had they chosen to do it while they were exercising? Every muscle, every motion in their body, every tiny ripple of flesh was clear to see. By their teacher, all their classmates… even the boys watching eagerly nearby. One even got hit square in the head with a baseball, paying too much attention to them, the oaf.

When class finally ended, the girls were exhausted, and well in need of a shower. Exercising was one thing, but the sheer nervousness at their own vulnerability had taken more than its toll on Kagome's three friends, who went straight for the curtains as soon as they were back in the locker room. It felt strange, going straight inside without having to undress first, but it had its conveniences. After several minutes (longer than they would normally take, as they had to gather their courage once more before stepping back out into view), the three emerged to find Kagome, herself finished, waiting for them.

"So, how was it?" She smirked just a little. In a way, she had been amused by their discomfort, blessed with the knowledge that they would eventually adapt and learn to appreciate their own bodies. Kagome couldn't help but feel bad about this, as it meant one of two things: Either she was just plain mean, enjoying her friends' discomfort, or that this was how Zero had felt, and perhaps she had been wrong to doubt and criticize him. Maybe it was both. He really was rubbing off on her, wasn't he?

"It was awful, Kagome!" Eri blurted. "Everyone staring, the feeling of helplessness… I don't know how you do it."

Kagome looked at her other two friends. Ayumi remained silent, looking down a little bit shyly.

"Well… the breeze was nice, anyway," said Yuka. She acted tougher than she was, but even behind the mask, she was a bit harder to crack than the other two. Yuka moved to her locker and started to gather her clothing, and then fold it into a neat little pile. "Are you guys coming?" She held the small package of garments under her arm, still completely nude.

"Are you…?" Kagome asked, curiously.

"Look, when I start something, I finish it." Yuka was determined. She was really going to stick with it for the rest of the day. Once again, Ayumi couldn't help but feel inspired to do the same. Eri was less enthusiastic… in fact, she wanted to forget this whole incident had ever happened. But when Yuka jokingly started to guilt trip her about being the only one to walk out on the other three horsemen, Eri caved. She didn't have the will or the patience to argue with anybody. Kagome placed her hand on Eri's nervous shoulder.

"Things'll work out." Kagome giggled. "If there's anything I've learned by now, it's that."


	7. Chapter 6

The previous day had passed without incident. Kagome's friends stuck with it, enduring the shame of being naked throughout the entire afternoon, then dressing themselves before the walk home (something Kagome couldn't do, of course, but the girls weren't quite ready for that step yet). At one point on the trip back, a police officer had stopped Kagome and threatened to bring her in for questioning. The girls were all terribly worried, until the officer radioed his superior and was told not to interfere with the shrine maiden training under Zero. The officer was dumbfounded, but had no choice but to release her and let the four continue on with their day.

Little incidents like this had been happening all week long. Tuesday, Kagome had woken up to some unfortunate cramps, and realized what time of the month it was. She suspected that Zero hadn't taken that small aspect of her life into account, but what was she to do? She had no clothes to wear, nothing to hide her womanhood. People would understand, she decided. But… just to be safe, she snipped the little white string so that it wasn't visibly hanging out of her. That would make it harder to remove later, but still preferable to the alternative. Once again, her friends accompanied her on her way to school, but this time, they disrobed in the entryway, and spent the entire day as Kagome did (now having had some time for personal grooming). The teachers were forced to adapt.

Wednesday, Kagome was surprised to see that her clothes were waiting for her in a bag outside the old well. She had been thinking she might as well stop looking, but was now glad she hadn't, or she might have missed this fact. In the bag were her regular old blouse, skirt… bra and panties, socks and shoes. Everything she used to wear before meeting Zero. She wondered if there was a reason they were out here now. Did Zero now want her to wear them for some reason? He wouldn't, would he? It didn't seem to make any sense in the context of his character. Why would he go through all the trouble of making her so comfortable in her own skin, and then have her go back to hiding her body? She knew him well enough to know that it was against everything he stood for.

In the end, the decision came down to what Kagome herself wanted. She thought about it for a minute. If she were to attend class clothed today, surely her friends would do the same. The whole reason they had started going nude was to support Kagome, they wouldn't continue if she stopped. Then what about tomorrow? Would things just go back to the way they had been before? Would Zero even disappear? Things couldn't go back, though; everyone had seen her and her friends for two days now, some three. Everyone knew about what had been happening, and at this point, almost everyone knew about Zero. Kagome had nothing left to keep secret. Things wouldn't change whether she wore them or not, bringing the decision down to nothing but personal preference. And…

Well, it turned out that Kagome had grown kind of fond of being free and exposed.

Thus, the bag lay, forlorn and untouched at the foot of the well building, as Kagome left for school as she always did. She wasn't willing to give up the feeling of freedom, of confidence. What a strange thing to be feeling, she thought. When she first started her training, her confidence had been the first thing to go—she had never felt more shy and embarrassed in her life. Yet now, somehow, she felt so much better about herself like this than she ever had clothed. Not only was life interesting again, but it was actually enjoyable. These queer thoughts filled Kagome's head for the rest of the day, as she met up with her friends and convinced them to disrobe at the gates outside the school today. They were getting bolder. Zero smiled from above; it seemed as though the student was slowly becoming the teacher.

Thursday, the girls all disrobed when they met up with Kagome, nervously walking through the bustling town fully exposed, and Friday, leaving their homes as such. Even their parents and neighbors had heard about Zero at this point—the whole town was abuzz. It even went so far as to start inspiring Kagome's other classmates. The four girls were extremely surprised to see, upon entering their classroom, Hojo sitting himself naked at his desk, once again sporting a body blush. Kagome couldn't help but feel a little more respect for him, and congratulated him on his courage; the happiness Hojo felt at this comment was palpable. That said, being of a fairly normal libido, Kagome didn't stop herself from glancing downwards. He wasn't quite as well-equipped as Zero, and had made an attempt to shave, but it seemed a little skewed in some areas. Maybe it was harder for guys, she thought. Still, it was cute the way it always got a little bit bigger upon seeing her walk into the room.

Finally, it was Saturday—the last day of Kagome's school week. Already, Kagome felt that something wasn't quite right upon waking up, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She raised her covers and stepped out of bed, feeling an odd sensation between her legs, like brushing against something. She walked over to the mirror and looked at herself.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her scream was heard from downstairs, and alerted her family to check on her.

"Kagome, what is it?!" Sota burst in, confused. "W…whaaa!"

Her mother followed. "Kagome? B…buh?" Both had reacted with incredible surprise and confusion. "What… what IS THAT?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Kagome was panicked, and for the first time, felt incredibly embarrassed. "Getoutgetoutgetout!" she shouted at her family, pushing them outside again.

Ms. Higurashi stood awkwardly in the hallway with her son.

"Was that…?" he asked.

"It… it was," she replied, stunned.

Inside, Kagome checked the mirror again. She blinked and she blinked again, hoping she was seeing things, but… she wasn't. It was a penis. Hanging lazily between her legs was a male member. Kagome was dumbfounded. How had this happened? She'd asked herself that same question a few times during her training, but this time, she was legitimately clueless… this time, it was a physical impossibility. Right? A complete and utter anomaly. Zero was powerful, but surely he couldn't be THAT powerful… could he?

"You know, Kagome…" her grandfather began in his usual sagely tone, now sitting across from her at the breakfast table, "historically, the gods have always favored the male gender. You should consider it an honor to- URK!"

Kagome's mother smacked him with a utensil she had just finished with, making an audible clang. Normally, she'd deal with even such a chauvinistic comment as Grandfather's with a playful smile, but she wasn't in the best of moods this morning, and wore a rather upset expression.

"You kinda had that one coming, Gramps," chimed Sota.

"He's gone too far this time. If he thinks he can… and to my daughter…!"

"Mom, it's fine…" Kagome didn't like seeing her mother so angry. In fact, she couldn't recall ever seeing her in this state before. She was really flying off the handle.

"Zero, get out here! I've got some words for you!" she shouted into the air.

Silence.

"Mom, I don't think he wants to talk…"

"Oh, I'll bet he doesn't!" replied an angry Ms. Higurashi to her daughter. Clearly this was going nowhere. "Kagome, listen, dear, you don't have to go to school today, all right? Don't you worry about a thing, I'll call the school and take care of everything."

"Thanks, but it's really not a problem," Kagome insisted.

"But… Kagome, dear…" Clearly, she was still worried about her daughter.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm plenty strong," said Kagome with a gentle smile.

"…just like her mother…" Grandfather raised himself back up, rubbing the back of his head wearily. His remark had been in jest, but somehow Ms. Higurashi had taken it to heart. These words, combined with Kagome's confident smile, told her that everything would be all right.

Of course, Kagome wasn't feeling nearly so confident. She was just better at keeping a level head than her mother. She knew trying to resist Zero would only cause more trouble… and really, this wasn't so bad. She just had to look on the bright side. It was a new experience for her, something she could surely learn from. And maybe it would prove, beyond any and all doubt, her relationship with a god to those last few nay-sayers. This sort of thing certainly wasn't something she could fake, right?

Kagome had taken some time before breakfast to examine her new equipment more closely. Her usual features were still down there… most of them, anyway. This new one seemed to take the place of her clitoris, and her urethra was missing, too; apparently redirected into this new appendage. She noticed this when she had gone to the bathroom that morning, and couldn't help but think how different it felt doing so as a "guy." It was much cleaner, for one, and she had always wanted to try it standing up just once. She would have a lot of explaining to do when she arrived at school, but at least the day would be interesting.

Needless to say, her friends were extremely surprised to see her upon their usual meeting up. After the initial shock of her new addition had passed, curiosity replaced it; Ayumi even suggested that it could be considered a trophy, signifying her achievements as an apprentice under Zero. The girls joked about it, then about various other things in their lives as they always did on the way to school. As always, they were bombarded with curious and often lecherous glances from nearby townsfolk, but it had become almost natural at this point… though moreso for Kagome than the other three, of course.

As expected, Kagome had to explain her circumstances to just about everyone whose path she crossed throughout the school day. Thankfully it was a short one—and no gym period. She would have looked incredibly awkward, she imagined, trying to run with this new thing bouncing and waving around in the open air. It would have been much more noticeable than her breasts, that was for sure. Though in some small way, deep inside, she couldn't help but feel just a little bit like she'd missed out on the experience. This feeling was outweighed by her more prudent side, but still, it was confusing to her that such a thought had occurred in her mind at all.

The worst part, though, was how her new equipment reacted to seeing Hojo, and later Zero. He wasn't wrong when he told her it was much more obvious when a man was excited… and it seemed to start itself up even more easily than her old. Occasionally it seemed to pick itself up for absolutely no reason at all. She wondered how in the world guys dealt with it, and started paying a little closer attention to Hojo throughout the day. He did change in size a little bit throughout, but managed to keep it mostly under control. Kagome was almost impressed, her own shaft quickly becoming very obvious to anyone who should happen to glance under her desk. No doubt it had started a great deal of gossip… and unlike when she had gotten wet before, she couldn't even hurry out of the room discreetly; standing at all would only make it more obvious to everyone.

Thus, Kagome endured. It was a very strange and trying day, even by her new standards, but just as every day before it, she persevered. On the way home, Kagome's friends continued to stare; their curiosity had only grown as the day had drug on, and Eri even blushed a little bit lustfully.

"I wouldn't mind having one for just a day… you know, just to see what it's like," she remarked.

"Today has been very… interesting," replied Kagome, trying to keep things lighthearted. The three girls would have a very interesting Sunday, themselves. Kagome, however, was quite glad to have reached the weekend, and planned to take full advantage of her day of relaxation. Upon reaching her bedroom following lunch, she found Zero waiting for her with his usual smirk.

"How was your day?"

"That was very mean-spirited of you," she snapped, half-jokingly. "You could have at least warned me you were planning something like this."

Zero chuckled. "Just having a little fun." He paused. "So… has your curiosity been sated?"

Kagome stopped to think to herself, considering the possibilities. "Well… I wouldn't mind trying a few things."


	8. Chapter 7

Kagome awoke on Sunday to find the offending member thankfully gone. She had had some very interesting experiences with Zero the previous day, but was nonetheless glad to be back to her original, beautiful self. Pausing at this thought, she realized that she'd never really thought of herself as beautiful before… it just never seemed to matter. Was she becoming more vain because of Zero? Or just more confident? Was there a difference?

In any case, Sunday wasn't a day for philosophical reflection; it was her day off, and she was going to enjoy it. And so she did, lazing about the house for most of her morning, then inviting the girls out for the afternoon. This would be the first time she was going out for fun naked—her friends, by contrast, were fully clothed, all of them wearing pants instead of skirts for whatever reason. It rather felt like they were hiding something. But, the outing helped to improve their mood, and Kagome had plenty of fun as well.

When Monday rolled around, Kagome couldn't help but feel a bit different from usual… melancholy, even. Not the ordinary kind of melancholy that arises when one wakes up and realizes that it's Monday, the start of their week, but a deeper, more haunting kind. She couldn't dispel an ominous feeling that something unpleasant was soon approaching. Zero would never try to give her such a feeling, so it couldn't be related to him, right?

These thoughts ate at Kagome a bit, but ultimately, there was little she could do to learn more about them, and once again, she simply had to cope. The day began as normal—breakfast as normal, meeting her friends as normal, going to class as normal. It was after Kagome sat down at her desk that she began to notice something peculiar, though… there was a girl, one she had never really spent much time talking to, sitting across the room from her, herself naked. Kagome looked around; it seemed like this girl was the only one exposed, aside from herself, her three friends, and Hojo, who was surprisingly committed to the endeavor. Just as this thought crossed her mind, though, another boy came in, stark naked… and another behind him. Just before the bell rang, a fourth student followed, this one a girl.

Kagome was amazed. Zero wouldn't have gone out of his way to "recruit" more followers—she knew him better than that. Apparently, what her friends and Hojo had been doing had caught on somehow. People were deciding to attend classes naked of their own free will. Surely they weren't just doing it for her sake, like Yuka and the girls. Was it becoming some kind of fad? Did they just want to see what it was like? Maybe this was something they'd always wanted to do, but only now thought they could get away with? …couldn't be. There weren't that many perverts in the world… were there?

That was the last of the nudists; including herself, that made 9 out of the class's 24 students naked today. That was more than a third of the class! Kagome's head spun at this outrageous realization. And this was just her homeroom. Were there others inspired to do this in other classes right now? What about other grade levels? Maybe this was turning into a trend. If so, it would surely go down as one of the craziest in the history of Japanese education; certainly the craziest in this school, at the very least. Kagome awaited the teacher's arrival, trying to anticipate what his reaction would be when he stepped through the door. But… where was he? It was very nearly time for class to begin, and yet there was no sign of him.

56 seconds, 57 seconds, 58, 59…

The door to the classroom swung open the instant the bell rang, in perfect time… but it wasn't the homeroom teacher who stepped through the frame. Kagome was shocked, the other students no less so, to see none other than Zero enter, unclothed as always, and walk boldly up to the front of the classroom, standing behind their instructor's desk as if it were his own.

"Greetings, class, greetings," he began, putting on a professional tone that Kagome had to restrain herself from giggling at. "Now, how many of you recognize me?" he asked.

"Z-Zero!" Eri blurted out in blatant surprise.

"Yes, excellent! Things will go much faster this way," his response. The class broke into murmurs; most of the students had only heard rumors about this being, they'd never imagined they would meet him… much less in such an awkward and unexpected situation. Here he was, acting as if he owned the class, not looking more than a year or two older than its students. "To those of you unfamiliar," he resumed his introduction over the dull roar as it began to settle down, "I am known as Zero, the god of truth and passion. I'm going to be taking over your homeroom period this week, during which we'll be having some special lessons. But, fret not. They'll be short." The banter started up again. "Questions?"

Several students, understandably confused, raised their hands.

"Are you really a god?" The first girl's question was obligatory.

Zero wasted not a second in answering. "I am. You were just thinking about how jealous you are of Suki's bust size and wondering if Sosuke would notice you if you were naked."

The girl clammed up, speechless, and blushed profusely. She would not be asking the same question again. Several of the other students stared at her, some others started to retract their hands, no longer wanting to be called on.

"Come now, don't be shy," Zero insisted. "Ami, you were just going to ask why I look so young, correct? Suffice it to say that gods and humans age differently. And Satoshi, you were about to question why I was naked, were you not? In response, I ask: Is there shame in the natural form of the human body, the form I have chosen to take? Some fault in it that we, its creators, might have missed while crafting it?"

The class fell silent.

"This is but one topic we will be covering during our brief sessions. Those of you who have willingly gone the extra mile to attend your classes in your purest, most natural of forms…" Zero paused to pay glances to the four newly-nude students today. "I respect and commend your courage."

Kagome almost felt a little embarrassed. She had had to have been forced to reach this point, kicking and screaming all the way, and here her peers were, choosing to honor the gods and their creation without so much as a complaint. And they weren't even shrine maidens. Maybe Kagome was being too hard on herself, though. None of this would have been possible if she hadn't been the one to take those first steps. Maybe that was in and of itself the point of Zero's teachings… to sow themselves into new minds?

"But before we continue on that subject, there are some obligations I must first fulfill as your temporary homeroom teacher. Namely…"

The class leaned in anxiously, curious about what it was he was talking about.

"…roll call."

Zero pulled out a pen and clipboard, looking as conservative as a naked man can possibly look. The class half fell out of their desks in surprise. One obligatory attendance later, things were again back on track.

"All right, then, today will be a day of observation. Do I have any volunteers?" Not one hand raised. "Shy, hm? Well, that's all right. Kagome!" She jumped a little at her name being called. "Would you please join me up here?"

She had a very bad feeling about where this was going… was this the ominous feeling from before? Had she been dreading the new scheme Zero had come up with for this week? No, it had been a different kind of bad feeling than this; this sort of thing, she was unfortunately getting used to. She rose from her desk and nervously inched her way to the front of the class. She'd never had to stand up at the head of class, right in front of everybody, in the nude before, despite having been in that state for a full week now. She blushed only slightly—all of her deep blushes had been used up long ago.

"Today, we'll be learning some of the finer points of the male and female anatomy." The class watched in tension, expectancy. "Now, I know what you're thinking—you've already covered the subject in sex ed, brief though it was. I'll be showing you some of the lesser known facts that class may have neglected, however, and presenting them in a hands-on environment." Kagome's face flushed a little bit more; she wished that she didn't know exactly what it was he meant by using the term "hands-on." She wished it weren't obvious. "I encourage all of you to come and take a closer look at any point of the lecture. In fact, I recommend you all come up as close as possible for optimum visibility." Even deeper. Kagome was wrong when she'd thought she had used up all of her deep blushes.

"…Ahhh!" Suddenly, Kagome felt a strange sensation as her feet left the ground—she was floating!

"Kagome, please relax your body," Zero instructed. Kagome had little choice in this situation, and did as she was told, reluctantly. Her limbs floated up without her moving them; Zero was in control of her body, and he quickly placed it in a cross-legged position, much to Kagome's dismay. Not only did this position make her special parts clearly visible to everyone in the class, but now she was floating with them on prominent display just below eye-level. Even her anus was clearly visible, thanks to the fact that she was levitating with nothing beneath her. She felt like she could just die.

As the rest of the class's eyes fell squarely on Kagome (some sympathetic female students trying to look away), Zero spread her opening and began to describe some of the finer details of her anatomy—the difference between labia majora and minora, the precise location of the vaginal opening, lesser-known scientific names for various regions, and so on. He even provided stimulation to demonstrate the difference between an at-rest vulva and an aroused one. By this point, several other students (mostly male) had approached the front of the class and were looking intently at Kagome's "anatomy," causing her even more embarrassment. Zero noted that one girl had entertained notions of telling him off in an attempt to "rescue" Kagome, but he was sure to quell such thoughts before she could act on them. Perhaps she would be involved in tomorrow's lesson.

His lesson on female anatomy finished, Zero moved to the topic of male anatomy, floating up and crossing his own legs, much to everyone's surprise. Everyone had expected that he was just out to humiliate Kagome, and after that had been done, he would consider the class concluded. While it wasn't entirely false to say that embarrassing his pupil was an important part of today's lesson, he took the education of the next generation seriously, and had every intention of giving them the full body of information on his particular subject of godhood to the best of his ability. Kagome felt a little better, seeing that she would not be alone.

With Zero now himself suspended, another Zero appeared out of nowhere, and was assigned the remainder of the lecture by the first. The class was dumbfounded enough at this, but even Kagome had trouble believing her eyes. She had witnessed many of Zero's unusual powers firsthand, but this was a first for even her. This new Zero began speaking as if nothing had changed, pointing out every detail he described on the first Zero, who floated silently on display, just as Kagome was (or had been—everyone's attention had now shifted to their male model). Even the boys learned a thing or two about their own bodies; a fruitful course indeed, if extremely unorthodox. By the time the second half of the lecture had concluded, the class was enthralled—most everyone had now gathered at the front to examine the two models more closely, and the topic somehow seemed more useful than it first had. Kagome couldn't tell if Zero was employing his powers in some way, or if he had managed to enrapture them on charisma alone.

"Now that the lecture is over with," the standing Zero announced, "I believe it's time for the practical portion of our lesson." Kagome had been fearing this part. "Please feel free to examine our two models to your heart's content. This is a valuable learning experience, and one you won't likely ever have again, so I suggest you take full advantage of it. Nothing short of intercourse if off-limits, so by all means—sate your curiosity."

Kagome's heart beat like a drum at a metal concert; her nerves weren't ready for this. But what could she do? She was still paralyzed in place. On the plus side, straight up intercourse was disallowed… but everything else? EVERYTHING? Kagome had no idea what to expect, and this worried her greatly. Somehow less than sympathetic towards her plight, the second Zero finished by stating, "And with that, I'll take my leave."

The modeling Zero turned to him and responded, "Thank you for joining us," as the second disappeared once again. Surely that must have been some attempt at humor on Zero's part, Kagome thought, though it likely went over her entire class's heads. Of course, it didn't seem to matter much… they were all too busy taking Zero's advice and seizing the opportunity that had been presented to them. Eri boldly, but nervously, reached out and touched Zero's manhood, still in the process of lowering itself from the arousal demonstration earlier in the lecture. A couple of other girls squealed as Eri's hand made contact, and she poked a second time, then finally grasped it, causing it to harden once again.

"How does it feel?" one asked her.

"It's… warm. And soft, but… also hard…?" Eri was having a difficult time describing the sensation, but was clearly enjoying herself, with a flushed smile on her face. It was clear that romance was not the only thing on her mind right now. Before long, other girls were clamoring for the opportunity to feel it as well—at one point there were three different hands trying to fondle it at one time. Meanwhile, the boys had their hands full (quite literally) with Kagome, as they groped her breasts and her butt, but still didn't dare venture too close to that holy land between her legs.

Eventually, one of the more forward guys dove in, feeling the soft fissure with his hand, then pulling it back, slightly wet. Another motioned to do the same, as Kagome tried to endure with stifled moans. Being fondled by several different people… ones she hardly knew outside of school, even, was a new and unusual experience, and one she wasn't sure she enjoyed. It felt so impersonal, so objectifying… but maybe she just had to stay with it. Maybe it would eventually grow to be something she could even enjoy? She shuddered at the thought… that, or at someone's accidental discovery of her exposed clitoris.

As it reached the point that three or four male students were trying to explore Kagome at once, one stepped in from behind them, insisting that they stop; it was Hojo, of course.

"Can't you see that you're making her uncomfortable?"

The strange feeling Kagome had been experiencing stopped, and she realized that Hojo had stepped up to defend her. It was sweet of him, but…

"Hojo… thanks, but it's all right."

"What? Kagome…?" he started to ask, confused.

"You can…" she started, "You can… do it too. That's why I'm up here, after all."

Temptation ate at the back of Hojo's conscience. Every bit of passion in his body was telling him to take her advice, while his sense of chivalry screamed at him not too.

"But… Kagome…" he stammered in hesitation. Clearly this was a difficult decision for him.

"Go ahead, lad," said Zero, himself occupied with no small number of interested girls. "You'll never learn without any experience."

"Hojo… it's all right," Kagome insisted once more. Hojo's inner walls were quickly coming down, as his rationality crumbled in the face of this temptation. Was it… really okay? Sensing that he was even more tense than she was, she yielded, taking his awkwardly half-outstretched hand and placing it gently on one of her breasts. Hojo flushed red, to Zero's (unspoken) amusement.

Hojo took a moment to feel where his hand was, gently applying pressure… and then, without warning, leaned in and kissed Kagome. It wasn't a very deep one, just an innocent lip lock… but it was still extremely unexpected for her. After a second or two, Hojo came to his senses and broke off.

"S…sorry, I kind of… lost control…" He looked so ashamed.

Kagome stifled a giggle. Zero's confidence was nice, but it was cute to see a guy who was so shy reacting to her, too.

"No harm, no foul," Zero remarked from the side. "I did say anything short of interco-"

As if she'd been waiting for the starting gun of a race, one of the girls made a dive for Zero and firmly planted her lips against his, cutting him off. Those words had been all the consent that they needed. Zero was, at first, just as surprised as his disciple had been, but adapted much more quickly—and this girl was even bold enough that she didn't break away after a couple of seconds. Kagome was mildly annoyed at Zero's easygoing nature with the other girls. She knew, of course, that his feelings for her outweighed what he saw in any of them, but insecurity was simply a part of human nature. To think, he was already amassing fangirls, and just because of his appearance, too… not that the boys who had been hungrily eyeing Kagome were looking at anything else, of course.

Fortunately, sensing that things were getting a little out of hand, Zero finally broke up the small crowd.

"All right, all right, settle down," he lectured. Homeroom period was very nearly over. "We're almost out of time, so let me close with just a brief announcement." Everyone reluctantly returned to their desks, Kagome included… although, she did have a little trouble adapting to being on the ground again, after not only being off her legs for so long but also being prodded and stimulated by all the boys in class. A blush came to her in this retrospective realization. She rose up and started towards her own seat, but felt a hand on her shoulder, beckoning her to stay for just a moment. Zero's, of course.

"From now until Friday, both Kagome and myself will be available for your educational use at all times in this building."

"Eh?!" Kagome reacted in surprise.

"You may do as you like with either of us at any time during or between classes. Just try not to be too disruptive."

Kagome, along with the rest of her class, was awestruck. What was he saying? Was she just going to be a toy for the whole school this week? There's no way he could expect such a thing! And… the fact that he said "from now until Friday" worried her, as well. What awful fate awaited her on Saturday? What did he have planned that would be more extreme than this? Surely this must have been what that ominous feeling in her gut had been warning her about… right?

"However!" Zero clarified, loudly, quickly dispelling all the gossip and whispering that had overtaken the classroom. "Only students who spend the day unclothed will be allowed this opportunity." He sneered deviously at this additional clause, as small gasps were heard throughout the room. Kagome's classmates all started turning and looking at each other, debating with themselves whether or not it was worth it. Clearly the girls were enraptured by the handsome Zero to even consider the offer, and the guys were no less interested in Kagome.

"With that, I leave you to your regular first period instructor," said Zero, as if the announcement he had just made were as mundane as any other morning announcement. As he did so, he started out of the room, opening the door and stepping out, soon followed by their regular homeroom teacher's shy entrance. Seems he hadn't been entirely willing to give his homeroom period to Zero, but had complied regardless. He picked up and meticulously read over the roll call that had been left sitting on the desk, thankful that at the very least his replacement had done that much, and without further ado, began his regular class period.

The day went about as normal for Kagome from that point on. Zero spent the day loitering (for lack of a better word) in the hallways, and was approached by Kagome's three friends—as well as one of the other naked girls—on more than one occasion. True to his word, he allowed them to have their fun. Truthfully, the fact that there were so many more nude female students than male ones put him in higher demand than Kagome at the moment. Hopefully she appreciated that much.

The next day, however, was a different story. Monday, there had been 9 homeroom students attending classes naked (10 if you include Zero, who wasn't actually a student). Tuesday, that number jumped to an astonishing 20, leaving a scant 4 students in Kagome's homeroom (3 males and 1 female) still in uniform. Zero thought it to be an interesting sort of psychological study, noting that, when pushed to this level, more of the male students were self-conscious about their bodies than were the females, quite contrary to cultural stereotypes. Many of the newly-naked students were, of course, extremely self-conscious in their own rights… but seeing Kagome and her friends, and even Zero, had made them feel a bit more comfortable, and now that it had come to the point that there were fewer people in class clothed than not, it didn't feel nearly as alienating as many of them had been expecting. At least one of the instructors even approached Zero, nervously asking if he should teach naked; he was a flabby old fellow, but always happy to open new minds, Zero enthusiastically replied that he would be granted blessing if he chose to do so.

This phenomenon was spreading like wildfire. Wednesday, Zero announced at the start of homeroom that not only were he and Kagome available, but all male students would be free game for any nude students to "examine" as they saw fit. Even the clothed ones weren't safe now. A few boys were approached by girls who had been crushing on them, but most of the attention still fell on Zero, much to his disappointment. He had hoped for more of a response. One of the still-clothed lads was confronted by several nude ones, however, and forcibly disrobed for not "joining the cause…" Zero himself confronted the offending lads and dispatched them, however, wanting every student to be free to make this choice on their own. The victim was so impressed that he did, in fact, spend the rest of the day unclothed. Everyone had seen him now, anyway—it wasn't so bad.

Of course, the next day, there were far fewer nude male students. The announcement yesterday had made them feel quite vulnerable. Upon hearing Thursday morning's announcement that all the female students were now fair game, however, they quickly abandoned their insecurities and disrobed—some even in the middle of class, immediately following the announcement. The girls, needless to say, were not happy with this arrangement, but the boys had taken their punishment, and it was only fair that they do the same. A few now wished they had taken advantage of the previous day a bit more.

Throughout most of the day, the halls were filled with boys groping and fondling their female classmates. In a few instances, one might get carried away, and try to initiate a blowjob or some other more explicit act, which usually resulted in a hearty slap. The girls were cooperative, but not THAT cooperative. Still, a few didn't mind such activities, and even enjoyed servicing their male classmates. Of course, Zero had warned them all about basic safety practices on Monday, and these girls were careful with their partners. Still, it was an amazing sight—if not necessarily a flattering one in the eyes of some. Some students saw these girls as outright sluts; other students knew better, as did Zero. The only difference between these girls and those who were judging them was that the ones partaking had the courage to act on their desires, without fear of public ridicule.

Zero himself even celebrated the day by sneaking up behind Kagome and starting to fondle her, whispering coyly in her ear, much to his victim's surprise.

"Guess who?"

His hands caressed her gently, sliding down her subtle figure and sending chills down her spine in the way she knew only he could. At the very least, she thought, it made her feel a little more secure that she had been the only one he had actively approached all this time; she felt happy at this, as his hand moved sensually down to her opening. The two celebrities were starting to amass a crowd. This was incredibly embarrassing, doing this sort of thing in public… and in front of a full audience, even. But it was also intoxicating. Did she… want to be seen?

Before Kagome even knew what was happening, her mind began to fade, as the hushed whispers of the crowd of students surrounding her dwindled to a static silence, her vision blurring and her bodily sensations becoming all the more pleasurable. Nothing could compare to this unbelievable sensation. Kagome was so visibly entranced that the other girls could only look on with tangible jealousy… she was almost drooling. A minute or two passed, and just as Kagome reached the summit of her reverie (but before she could realize what had happened), she began to feel something warm between her legs. Sight and sound slowly, gradually returned to her… there was some, splashing sound? Everyone around her was staring uncomfortably; Zero had stepped back, and was no longer behind her, leaving her in the middle of this circle of people, alone.

At that moment, all of her sensations came together, and Kagome realized why everyone was staring. A stream of urine was flowing freely from Kagome straight down to the floor below, creating a small puddle. Apparently she had become a little bit too relaxed in Zero's embrace. Kagome, once again, flushed a deep red… this one deep enough to create a full body blush. Breaking from the crowd, she ran aside and hid in the bathroom, hurrying into a stall and locking the door behind her.

It took a moment or two for Kagome to come to her senses fully, falling back to reality and coming to realize the shameful state she had just been in. But as miserable as she should feel… as miserable as she wanted to feel, even, the truth was… Kagome had reached the point at which she wasn't sure what exactly she felt anymore. After an ordeal like that, she should be in tears. She should be feeling as low as she'd ever felt in her life, and yet… these feelings simply did not come. Surely something must be wrong with her, she thought. She felt her cheek—a single tear adorned it, having rolled only partway down her face. It was a reflection of the conflicting feelings now at war within her.

Kagome was, in a word, confused. She was confused about these feelings. She was confused about Zero, and how she really felt about him, or rather, how she thought she should feel. She was confused about this ominous feeling of dread that had been haunting her, and what it had been trying to warn her of. Was this it, at last? This numbing of emotion? No… Kagome could still feel, that she was sure of. Zero had not taken that from her. She knew he wouldn't. Rather, this crossroad… it was… an epiphany. Was that the word? Yes, that seemed right. An odd place to find oneself spiritually, but here she sat in the women's bathroom, finally awakened. Or at least, she felt as if she had taken the first step. She knew not how, or why; it made no sense for her to feel anything but embarrassment after what she'd just been through. Maybe… maybe she'd just had enough of feeling that, though. After all, what had it ever gotten her in the end?

 _KNOCK! KNOCK!_

Someone rapped lightly on the stall door, jolting Kagome out of her self-reflection.

"Kagome? Are you all right in there?"

A girl's voice… but an unfamiliar one. It was one of Kagome's classmates, she knew that much, but it didn't sound like anyone she spoke to regularly. She opened the stall door, having recovered a bit, and saw a girl she vaguely recognized as one of the quieter members of her class. Hiyori, she thought her name was… spent most of her time in the corner of the classroom, usually ate lunch alone. Didn't seem to socialize much… and yet, here she'd been the one to approach Kagome out of concern, smiling gently in her birthday suit. She, too, had been one of the students to step onto the nude bandwagon.

"I wanted to be sure you were feeling okay."

"Thanks, I'm fine…" Kagome insisted, standing up to meet her eye level. "I'm actually not as upset as I thought I would be…"

"I saw what happened in the hall," the girl stated, blushing. "The guys may act like jerks, but the girls… we understand."

Great. This meant her male classmates were already making jokes about the incident. It would be all over the school before she knew it.

"Actually, I was kind of… jealous…" Hiyori trailed off. Obviously she was very shy; this was a difficult conversation for her to have, but it was very sweet of her to try to reassure Kagome like this.

"I, eh… probably shouldn't have let myself get swept away with Zero like that…" Kagome tried to force a laugh in order to lighten the conversation. This was a little awkward, given that she hardly knew this girl. "You could always talk to him yourself, you know," she suggested, insincerely.

But the girl shook her head. "Actually, umm… Zero's… kind of the one I was… jealous of…"

Kagome paused for a moment, reflecting on what the girl had just said and trying to piece the meaning together. She wasn't jealous of Kagome, being aroused by Zero… she was jealous of Zero, who had been fondling… …wait…

"Are you…?" Kagome asked. The girl blushed even deeper. This was very, VERY hard for her.

Hiyori's eyes were planted firmly on the ground, too afraid to look Kagome directly in hers. Kagome's were glued to the ground in contemplation. She had never considered this possibility before… truthfully, Kagome wasn't at all attracted to her own sex. But still… here this girl had gone so far and risked so much to try to confess to her, as half-baked a confession as it may be. Kagome would feel just awful sending her packing just like that. And besides… "Hmm…"

Kagome's eyes closed, as if to confirm her final decision. She placed her hands on Hiyori's bare shoulders, who then jumped at the sudden, unexpected contact, her eyeline jerking up to meet Kagome's gaze. In but a moment, Kagome had leaned in and given the girl a gentle peck on the lips—nothing romantic, just a small gesture of understanding and acceptance. "I'll be honest…" Kagome began, "I'm really just… not interested in girls." Hiyori was confused by the contradiction between Kagome's words and her actions. "But," Kagome continued, taking a more formal, almost businesslike stance, "today, all female students are free for other students' use. Isn't that right?" Hiyori stared absently. "If you still want to do something, then… it's all right with me."

Kagome picked up one of Hiyori's very nervous hands and placed it on her breast, invitingly, just as she had had to do for Hojo in his shyness. She was a sweet girl, and Kagome wanted to give her what she wanted, but it might take a little push in order for Hiyori to accept the offer. It was up to her at this point… and, after taking the brief moment to assess the whole of the situation, Hiyori reeled Kagome into a sudden embrace, catching her off guard.

"Thanks. I know I won't change your mind, but it means a lot… accepting me," Hiyori told her.

Within moments, Hiyori was deftly using her hands, her mouth, and all her other assets to try and please Kagome… she was voracious, and yet almost as good as Zero. Kagome wondered if this might be how Zero would act if he actually let himself go, lost some of that trademark refinement of his… really, it wasn't so bad. All Kagome had to do was relax and let Hiyori do as she wished. Hiyori got what she wanted while Kagome was the one being pleasured. Why had she been so embarrassed and resistant to sexual encounters in the past, she thought to herself? It didn't make a lot of sense, in retrospect.

It took some minutes, but Hiyori eventually got her urges out of her system, after bringing Kagome to no less than two orgasms. Being seen losing control like that, it must be embarrassing, Kagome thought… possibly as embarrassing as what had happened to her in the hallway earlier. But despite her attempts to apologize to Kagome, it was clear that underneath it all, Hiyori was much happier now, and even a little bit more confident.

"You don't have to apologize, really," Kagome insisted. "I'm just glad you were able to enjoy it."

Hiyori blushed once again. "You won't tell anyone about me, I mean, about… us… will you?"

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry. I'll keep your secret." A sigh of relief came from Hiyori. "But, you know… I don't think it's that big a deal. There might even be some other girls in class like you."

With that, Kagome stepped out of the restroom, feeling much more chipper than she probably ought have and leaving a nice warm fuzzy for Hiyori behind her. It felt good to help others. And to think, in this case, she didn't even have to do anything to make it happen. Maybe it was superficial that people were so interested in her appearance, but… if something she had was capable of bringing joy to others, then maybe the right thing to do was simply to spread this joy. The remainder of Thursday was spent on a cheerful note.

Friday came and, much along the lines of what students had been expecting, both male and female students were free to do as they liked to each other the entire day. The school would be fortunate to avoid an orgy by the end of classes. Fortunately for them, this did not happen… but just about everything short of it, did. And more than anyone, Kagome gave her all to raise the spirits of those classmates of hers who came to her in need. The embraces didn't feel as personal as they did with Zero… but, they made the boys happy, and this, in turn, made Kagome happy. The fondling was awkward and inexperienced, but it did feel nice, and the boys were always very polite and thankful to Kagome afterwards. And once… just once, just for Hojo, Kagome even took the extra step to give him a little extra service using her mouth. …Only briefly, though. She had never properly thanked him for being the first to join her and her friends in the nude; it had taken a lot of courage, and she felt as if he deserved at least a small reward. Hojo didn't argue.

Kagome felt more fulfilled than she ever had before, like her life was finally a genuinely rewarding experience. Everyone seemed so happy now, and it was all thanks to Zero. For the first time, she truly felt blessed by his arrival in their small town.

Her role felt significant.


	9. Chapter 8

Saturday morning, something felt off from the moment Kagome woke up. She knew something was strange when she got out of bed, went to her dresser, and found it once again fully stocked with clothing. Even after all these weeks, she hadn't quite kicked the habit of checking every morning… but every time, it had been empty, until now. Why now? What did it mean?

Kagome went downstairs to meet her family at the breakfast table, naked as always. Not that it ever came up in conversation. Her family had grown completely accustomed to her; it was just a part of everyday life now. Her meal passed in a grey blur, and before she knew it, Kagome was off to school to meet her friends. She couldn't help but notice that lingering feeling of dread poking in and out of the back of her mind, taunting her… there was something oddly dreary about today. But what?

Her friends were once again fully clothed, and when Kagome asked them why, they were hesitant to answer. The best response she got was that they simply "didn't feel like" joining her today. Most peculiar. School was no different—even after the spectacle that the entirety of the student body had become yesterday, there wasn't a single person save Kagome unclothed today. Never had she thought it would be so peculiar and unsettling to see everyone dressed. It used to be such a normal aspect of life. How could everyone have forgotten about the previous day like that? Or the one before? This whole week it had seemed like the school had been undergoing some great change, but now things felt as static as they had before Zero arrived. The uneasy feeling in Kagome's gut grew stronger.

The day passed entirely uneventfully. No one paid comment to Kagome's own nudity, it was just the regular state of things now. She did get some very queer looks from her instructors throughout the day, though—odd, as they had been very understanding (if not always willingly so) in the past. By the time noon rolled around, Kagome felt drained. She hadn't done anything but sit at her desk all morning, and yet, somehow, she felt it had been even more trying than her usual days spent doing some crazy new thing as a part of Zero's training. Something was very wrong, and she knew she had to meet with him as soon as possible.

"Zero!"

Wasting no time, she called his name as soon as she had stepped beyond the school gates. But this time… she received no response. Zero did not come. She tried again, but met with the same results… something was very wrong. She hurried home as best as she could, making note of all the very judgemental looks coming from the other pedestrians she passed. Everyone knew about her and Zero at this point, so why the glares? The public ridicule? With every person she passed, Kagome began to feel a little bit shyer, a little more insecure, just as she had the first time she had gone walking in town like this. It was a very unsettling feeling, but this time, it hurt all the more because she knew what it had been like to be accepted.

When she got home, it was straight up to her room… where, at last, she saw a friendly face there, waiting for her.

"Zero!" She ran up to embrace him, almost in tears. The day had been quite harrowing. Only… Zero didn't seem quite as happy to see her, at a glance. In fact, he looked almost melancholy.

"Kagome…" He spoke gently, almost cooingly, holding her closely in his arms. Once the two of them were separated, he moved in for a gentle kiss. He had a special way of making all of Kagome's troubles seem so inconsequential… but this time, even he couldn't dispel them completely.

"What's going on? Why is everybody acting so different than they were yesterday?" Kagome finally asked, having separated from Zero. He looked at her deeply, not really wanting to answer… at least, not yet.

"Let's… save that, for now," he said, "and focus on happier things. I'll explain afterwards."

He moved into another slight embrace. This was very peculiar behavior for him… Zero had been ever the theatrical type, but always in a confident sort of way. Seeing him as he was now, it was almost tragic… and while Kagome desperately wanted to know what was going on, she wanted more than anything to see him happy again, and to put today behind her. It was time once again for her to share a little of the joy that she now knew she was capable of spreading. With this thought in mind, Kagome took the lead.

She held and caressed her partner warmly, exploring every inch of him as she hadn't had the courage to do before… his skin was as soft in contrast to his firm muscles as it had ever been, but she couldn't help but feel like the feeling of closeness she had experienced the last time wasn't quite there. It was true, she was enjoying herself, and Zero himself… but his smile seemed somehow waning. It was the kind of smile one might wear as she basked in the sunset on the last day of summer vacation, or upon leaving an airport on a very long trip.

In this moment, Kagome finally realized what was going on, and she froze.

Not allowing things to end just yet, Zero took the opportunity to seize the lead for himself, moving on Kagome and quickly trying to dispel her thoughts. Again, she was enraptured in the moment, almost incapable of worry… things would be okay. Things would absolutely be okay, she thought to herself. Zero was just as passionate as he had ever been, as she felt waves of his aura and of his emotion pulsing through her body. It wasn't possible to make someone feel like this without love. It was beyond physical stimulation, beyond sensuality… Zero had shown her a state of being, and for that, she was eternally thankful.

The two enjoyed each other's company thoroughly, focusing on nothing but their shared feelings… but all things must come to an end, and after some time, the two of them lay beside each other, idle and contemplative.

"So… you've realized it by now. Haven't you?" Zero asked her, breaking the tranquil silence, his eyes not meeting hers. Those words brought all the feelings of unease rushing back to Kagome again, but… this time, she felt like she had more control over them.

"I don't… want to say that I have," she replied. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye. This was it. This had been that feeling of dread looming over her all week, ever since that Monday morning. With Zero's work done, it had finally come time for him… to leave.

"You know I wish I could stay, Kagome… it pains me as much as it does you."

"Then stay!" she exclaimed, hoping to convince him. But Zero could only shake his head in response.

"I'm needed elsewhere. And in my world…"

"Well…" Kagome began, stifling herself. "You're immortal, right? Surely you could stay for… just one lifetime?"

Zero looked down remorsefully. "I wish… I wish that were the case," he told her, regret lingering in his eyes. Kagome could hardly contain herself… she had always taken for granted that he would be there to look out for her forever. Maybe that was short-sighted of her.

"When will you be back?"

"Probably… never." The difficulty of his forming that short sentence was almost tangible. Kagome was beside herself, unable to repress her tears any further. They hadn't known each other a month, and yet, it somehow had felt like so much longer… she wept, and Zero, watching, wept inside. A long moment of shared solitude passed before he finally spoke again. "…two years."

"…huh?" Kagome tried to quiet herself.

"I will visit you two years from today, one last time." He stepped up and hugged her tightly, possibly their last. "Until then… please, be strong."

She sniffed, trying to show her strength. It was very hard, in a situation like this one. But… he had taught her much. Compared to never seeing him again, two years didn't seem so far away. And so, as his final farewell, Kagome managed a smile. She didn't want to be remembered as a sniveling girl… but she knew that Zero would never think of her that way anyway. With that, the two finally parted ways, as Zero slipped into the aether, returning to his own world, far from hers…

—

Two years passed.

"Today's the day," Kagome thought to herself, solemnly. Now 16, she had awoken with excitement, eager to see her old mentor again… but as the morning's classes pressed on, she began to think about what exactly she should say, how she should greet him again. Their time together seemed so short, now… a month together and two years apart? Would he even be the same person anymore? She liked to think that she was, but at the same time… surely she had grown in some way, right?

She walked home, fully clothed, departed her friends, as she always had, returned to the shrine, and took a moment to collect herself before entering her bedroom. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, then he would be waiting there, right behind that door… just as he had the day they had first met. With a deep breath, she slowly pushed the wooden barrier open. The tension was immeasurable. It creaked on its hinges, slowly bringing the bedroom into view… and finally, she opened it completely. Her bed was unoccupied. The window hung open gently. The floor was clear. There was no one inside.

"Hello again."

A familiar voice coincided with the feeling of someone's hand on Kagome's shoulder, and she jumped, startled, falling flat on the floor of her bedroom in front of (or rather, now behind) her. The voice suppressed a laugh.

"What's the matter with you?! We don't see each other for two years, and that's how you make your appearance?!" Kagome shouted at him, as he now laughed at her trivial discontent. It was certainly Zero standing in the door frame, high above her, laughing as heartily as he ever had. Kagome felt a little bit embarrassed… here she had been, dreading their encounter like it was to be some kind of business meeting to decide the fate of a critical contract, and just like that, all the tension was gone. Zero was still Zero, wily and spirited, and he still knew how to pull her strings. At this, Kagome couldn't help but laugh herself.

"Sorry to frighten you. You know how I hate predictability," he apologized jokingly. Clearly he was still poking fun at her.

"You know, my **boyfriend** 's not going to be happy when he hears about this," she retorted. Zero sneered.

"Boyfriend, huh? Is he imaginary or just invisible?"

…crap. She'd forgotten he was a mind reader. Kagome pouted, defeated by his powers once again. Things never really changed. After the pleasantries of their initial encounter had passed, the two began to talk a bit more seriously.

"I see you've reverted back to your old dress code," Zero commented, sizing up Kagome's new high school uniform.

"I had to, after you left," said Kagome, now feeling more somber. Minutes passed in silence, a thick air of anxiety forming between them. "You know… I ought to be blaming you," she continued. "I should hate you, showing me how things could be, only to leave and take that away." Her words were not accusatory, as evidenced by her slightly melancholy smile. It was a reflective expression. "I had to start wearing clothes again. I tried to stay undressed around the house, it being private property, but it got to be a pain, trying to keep my clothes outside… and mom started to worry about the shrine again." Zero listened patiently. "Everything… everything went back to being grey. Things were so much happier when you were around… everyone was happier."

The tears had returned to Kagome's eyes, reflecting on those past times. It seemed like such a silly thing, getting so emotional about something so trivial as having to dress herself… but it had opened new worlds for her, and even served as the foundation for their relationship. She had never felt more free, and less subject to the harsh judgement of the world than she had during those days. It had been such an exhilarating feeling, and one she wanted everyone in the world to experience. How amazing it would be if everyone could be so understanding, so free of judgement or care… how many lives would be saved, how many wars prevented? The possibilities were boundless, even staggering. As Kagome contemplated these feelings, Zero silently stepped beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder in companionship.

"I was just thinking how wonderful it would be if everyone could understand you the way I do, how much better the world could be with a little humility." She wiped a tear from her eye, as Zero looked down at her, warmly. "But… I know, even you don't have the time or power for that. Not for everyone."

"I wish I did," Zero replied. "But you know… all's not so hopeless." Kagome looked up at him, curiously. "People may have lost their way after my departure…"

"…the whole event was treated as mass hysteria. You were debunked as an illusion," she told him. Zero was disappointed, but not crushed.

"…but despite this, I managed to reach one person. You were the one to finally see the light, Kagome. Just as I knew you would be."

"But… I can't do anything with that knowledge," said Kagome. "I don't have the kind of power over people that you do."

"That's true. But whether you realize it or not, there are some who you managed to reach. Your three friends, for instance. Somewhere deep inside, they know now how things must be. Now you just need to pull that out of them."

"You make that sound easy."

"Maybe… but I know that you'll find a way, someday," Zero reassured her. "You have the power to change the world." The two paused once more. They knew that Zero's visit would not be a long one.

"Hey…" started Kagome. "I have an idea. Let's… you and I go out, okay?"

"You want to show them? One last time?"

"One last time," she replied sweetly. He took her hand in his for a moment, and then, she began disrobing, until she once again stood there in all her glory, as she so often had those two years ago. Without another word, the two bare youths left the house, making their way to the park to enjoy their final day together as only they could, in full sight of everyone.

The first step to a better tomorrow isn't always an easy one, but that doesn't make it any less necessary. Kagome reflected on this as she shared in Zero's warm embrace, the sun speckling their skin through the trees above… and for the first time in a long time, she thought to herself, "Everything is going to turn out all right."

 **SUBJECT K1**  
 **Result: Success**


End file.
